Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Tennessee

Restaurants and cafes in Roane County, TN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Roane County, TN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 84 out of 100: High

Ranked #69 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
133
60 chain locations (45%)
Official establishments
56
−6.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$82.8M
On food away from home · $3,633 a household
Spending per listing
$623K
68% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
58.4
47% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
57,395
+7.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Roane 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 Roane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Roane County is 84 (high), #69 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

As of September 2026, map listings count 133 restaurants and cafes in Roane County. 60 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 58.4 per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,633 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Roane County spend about $82.8M a year on food away from home. That works out to $623K per restaurant, 68% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Roane County in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 407 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Roane County grew 7.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Roane 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Roane County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureRoane CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households58.4102.9109.8
Spending per listing$623K$357K$371K
Households per official establishment407229209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.7%+9.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.0%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,633$3,670$4,070
Median household income$71,885$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score8449

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
60 → 56−6.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,238
Annual payroll, 2023
$21.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
7Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13360 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
223The 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 Roane 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 Roane County

Population, 2025 estimate
57,395+7.0% since 2020
Households
22,790
Median age
46.4
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
361 sq. mi.
People per square mile
153
Median household income
$71,885+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$94,176
Median home value
$232,900
Jobs located here
12,675
Daytime population
43,901Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Roane 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 Roane County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Roane County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fayette County, TN919655.8$719K+7.7%#19 of 2,405
2Roane County, TN8413358.4$623K+7.0%#69 of 2,405
3Loudon County, TN8417773.6$540K+15.6%#77 of 2,405
4Meigs County, TN812547.8$694K+10.8%#115 of 2,405
5Hickman County, TN814749.8$687K+5.0%#116 of 2,405
6Union County, TN803847.9$689K+8.1%#130 of 2,405
7Cheatham County, TN8011470.0$567K+4.1%#138 of 2,405
8Grainger County, TN774647.6$645K+9.2%#187 of 2,405
9Macon County, TN774851.0$635K+9.5%#188 of 2,405
10Smith County, TN775265.6$539K+5.1%#201 of 2,405

Other business types in Roane County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Roane County, TN?

Roane County has 133 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 60 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Roane County, TN spend on food away from home?

About $82.8M a year, or $3,633 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $623K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,790 households in Roane County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Roane County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Roane County has 58.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 47% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $623K, 68% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Roane County would have about 223, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 407 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Roane County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Roane County at 57,395 people in 2025, up 7.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,790 households. The median household income in Roane County is $71,885 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Roane County scores 84 for restaurants and cafes (high), #69 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Roane 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 Roane County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Roane 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 Roane 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.