Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Polk County, TN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Polk County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #853 of 2,405 scored counties
#46 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 71
- 16 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.1M
- On food away from home · $3,384 a household
- Spending per listing
- $354K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 95.6
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,592
- +5.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Polk County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $3,384 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $25.1M a year on food away from home. That works out to $354K per restaurant, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Polk County has 71 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 95.6, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 371 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Polk County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Polk County is 58 (upper middle), #853 of 2,405 scored counties and #46 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Polk County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 95.6 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $354K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 371 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,384 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,522 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 236
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 68The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Polk County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,592+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 7,424
- Median age
- 45.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 435 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $62,522+44.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,888
- Median home value
- $169,900
- Jobs located here
- 2,324
- Daytime population
- 13,260Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 91 | 96 | 55.8 | $719K | +7.7% | #19 of 2,405 |
| 2Roane County, TN | 84 | 133 | 58.4 | $623K | +7.0% | #69 of 2,405 |
| 3Loudon County, TN | 84 | 177 | 73.6 | $540K | +15.6% | #77 of 2,405 |
| 4Meigs County, TN | 81 | 25 | 47.8 | $694K | +10.8% | #115 of 2,405 |
| 5Hickman County, TN | 81 | 47 | 49.8 | $687K | +5.0% | #116 of 2,405 |
| 6Union County, TN | 80 | 38 | 47.9 | $689K | +8.1% | #130 of 2,405 |
| 7Cheatham County, TN | 80 | 114 | 70.0 | $567K | +4.1% | #138 of 2,405 |
| 8Grainger County, TN | 77 | 46 | 47.6 | $645K | +9.2% | #187 of 2,405 |
| 9Macon County, TN | 77 | 48 | 51.0 | $635K | +9.5% | #188 of 2,405 |
| 10Smith County, TN | 77 | 52 | 65.6 | $539K | +5.1% | #201 of 2,405 |
| 46Polk County, TN | 58 | 71 | 95.6 | $354K | +5.9% | #853 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants60
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Polk County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 71 restaurants and cafes in Polk County. 16 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $25.1M a year, or $3,384 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 71 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $354K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,424 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Polk County has 95.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $354K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Polk County would have about 68, against 71 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 371 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 18,592 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,424 households. Median household income in Polk County is $62,522, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 44.4%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Polk County scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #853 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk County. It maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.