Food and drink · County · Tennessee
Sit-down restaurants in Shelby County, TN
How Shelby 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,057 of 2,405 scored counties
#82 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee
- Listings
- 2,525
- 747 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 625
- −0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On food away from home · $3,606 a household
- Spending per listing
- $518K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 69.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 910,226
- −2.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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
Shelby County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,057 of 2,405 scored counties and #82 of 87 scored counties in Tennessee. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Shelby County spend about $1.3B a year on food away from home, or $3,606 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 2,525 sit-down restaurants, that is $518K per restaurant, 22% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Shelby County has 2,525 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 747 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 69.6, 14% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 625 businesses with payroll in Shelby County classed as full-service restaurants, down 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 580 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Shelby County. Population estimates put the population change in Shelby County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Shelby 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 | Shelby County | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 69.6 | 59.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $518K | $618K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 580 | 569 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.6% | +4.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.1% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,606 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,767 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 629 → 625−0.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,868
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $388M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 195Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,525747 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,971The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 21
- Amount
- $8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 910,226−2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 362,741
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 753 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,221
- Median household income
- $63,767+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,646
- Median home value
- $249,100
- Jobs located here
- 497,377
- Daytime population
- 1,001,197Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 |
| 82Shelby County, TN | 30 | 2,525 | 69.6 | $518K | −2.1% | #2,057 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops29
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes51
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Shelby County, TN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,525 sit-down restaurants in Shelby County. 747 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 625 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. Another 195 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Shelby County, TN spend on food away from home?
About $1.3B a year, or $3,606 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,525 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $518K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 362,741 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, TN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Shelby County has 69.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $518K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Shelby County would have about 1,971, against 2,525 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 580 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, TN growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 910,226 people in 2025, down 2.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 362,741 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $63,767, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Shelby County scores 30 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,057 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.