Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Sullivan County, TN
The restaurants and cafes in Sullivan County, TN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,271 of 2,405 scored counties
#64 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 602
- 291 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 291
- −2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $232.3M
- On food away from home · $3,371 a household
- Spending per listing
- $386K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 87.4
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 163,759
- +3.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 602 restaurants and cafes in Sullivan County. 291 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 87.4 for every 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Sullivan County comes to about $232.3M a year: $3,371 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $386K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sullivan County was 291 in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 237 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 51 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sullivan County.
Population estimates put the population change in Sullivan County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Sullivan County is 48 (lower middle), #1,271 of 2,405 scored counties and #64 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Sullivan 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 | Sullivan County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 87.4 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $386K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 237 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.3% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,371 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,807 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 298 → 291−2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,590
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $134.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 51Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 602291 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 627The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 163,759+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 68,907
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 414 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 388
- Median household income
- $58,807+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,467
- Median home value
- $213,300
- Jobs located here
- 71,251
- Daytime population
- 164,416Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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 |
| 64Sullivan County, TN | 48 | 602 | 87.4 | $386K | +3.5% | #1,271 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Sullivan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Sullivan County, TN?
Sullivan County has 602 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 291 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 291 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 51 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sullivan County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $232.3M a year, or $3,371 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 602 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $386K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 68,907 households in Sullivan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sullivan County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Sullivan County has 87.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $386K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Sullivan County would have about 627, against 602 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 237 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Sullivan County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Sullivan County at 163,759 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 68,907 households. The median household income in Sullivan County is $58,807 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. Sullivan County scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,271 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sullivan 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 Sullivan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sullivan 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 Sullivan 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.