Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in Unicoi County, TN
How Unicoi County, TN compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,046 of 2,405 scored counties
#54 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 58
- 24 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $24.6M
- On food away from home · $3,158 a household
- Spending per listing
- $424K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 74.4
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 17,856
- −0.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Unicoi 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 Unicoi 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
Household spending on food away from home in Unicoi County comes to about $24.6M a year: $3,158 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. Spread across 58 restaurants and cafes, that is $424K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Unicoi County has 58 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 24 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 74.4 per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Unicoi County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 339 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Unicoi County declined 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Unicoi County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #1,046 of 2,405 scored counties and #54 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Unicoi 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 | Unicoi County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 74.4 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $424K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 339 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,158 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,218 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 230.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 394
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5824 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The 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 Unicoi 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 Unicoi County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 17,856−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 7,795
- Median age
- 47.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 186 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 95
- Median household income
- $52,218+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,417
- Median home value
- $189,600
- Jobs located here
- 4,627
- Daytime population
- 15,424Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Unicoi 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 Unicoi 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 Unicoi 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 |
| 54Unicoi County, TN | 53 | 58 | 74.4 | $424K | −0.1% | #1,046 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Unicoi County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 Unicoi County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 58 restaurants and cafes in Unicoi County. 24 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Unicoi County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $24.6M a year, or $3,158 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $424K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,795 households in Unicoi County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Unicoi County, TN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Unicoi County has 74.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $424K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Unicoi County would have about 66, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 339 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Unicoi County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Unicoi County at 17,856 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,795 households. Median household income in Unicoi County is $52,218, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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. Unicoi County scores 53 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,046 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Unicoi 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 Unicoi County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Unicoi 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 Unicoi 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.