Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Sit-down restaurants in Monroe County, TN
How Monroe County, TN compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,236 of 2,405 scored counties
#61 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 94
- 31 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $61.9M
- On food away from home · $3,142 a household
- Spending per listing
- $659K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.7
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,730
- +7.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Monroe County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Monroe 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 94 sit-down restaurants in Monroe County. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 47.7 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Monroe County comes to about $61.9M a year: $3,142 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $659K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in Monroe County classed as full-service restaurants, up 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 657 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1M has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Monroe County.
Population estimates put the population change in Monroe County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Monroe County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,236 of 2,405 scored counties and #61 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee.
How Monroe 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Monroe County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.7 | 59.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $659K | $618K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 657 | 569 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.1% | +4.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.2% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,142 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,895 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 30+11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 506
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9431 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 93The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Monroe 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 Monroe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,730+7.2% since 2020
- Households
- 19,714
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 636 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 75
- Median household income
- $56,895+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,575
- Median home value
- $227,500
- Jobs located here
- 15,693
- Daytime population
- 44,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Monroe 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Monroe County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Monroe County marked.
Top counties in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fayette County, TN | 90 | 58 | 33.7 | $1.2M | +7.7% | #23 of 2,405 |
| 2Roane County, TN | 85 | 70 | 30.7 | $1.2M | +7.0% | #61 of 2,405 |
| 3Loudon County, TN | 84 | 100 | 41.6 | $956K | +15.6% | #79 of 2,405 |
| 4Blount County, TN | 79 | 215 | 38.7 | $984K | +6.0% | #149 of 2,405 |
| 5Union County, TN | 78 | 24 | 30.3 | $1.1M | +8.1% | #161 of 2,405 |
| 6Cheatham County, TN | 78 | 65 | 39.9 | $995K | +4.1% | #169 of 2,405 |
| 7Wilson County, TN | 78 | 319 | 53.9 | $801K | +17.8% | #181 of 2,405 |
| 8Marshall County, TN | 76 | 61 | 44.8 | $812K | +10.5% | #229 of 2,405 |
| 9Hickman County, TN | 75 | 28 | 29.7 | $1.2M | +5.0% | #234 of 2,405 |
| 10Jefferson County, TN | 75 | 78 | 35.8 | $969K | +9.3% | #246 of 2,405 |
| 61Monroe County, TN | 49 | 94 | 47.7 | $659K | +7.2% | #1,236 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Monroe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza45
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 sit-down restaurants are in Monroe County, TN?
There are 94 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Monroe County as of September 2026. 31 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 11.1% from 2019. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Monroe County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $61.9M a year, or $3,142 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 94 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $659K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,714 households in Monroe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Monroe County, TN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Monroe County has 47.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $659K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Monroe County would have about 93, against 94 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 657 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Monroe County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Monroe County at 49,730 people in 2025, up 7.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,714 households. The median household income in Monroe County is $56,895 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Monroe County scores 49 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,236 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Monroe County. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Monroe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Monroe 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 Monroe 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.