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Lowest measured density of fast food in Tennessee

Tennessee has 12 ZIP codes where published counts of fast food are statistically below the U.S. rate. Coverage is the Tennessee counties on this site, not the whole state. Same filters as the radius search. Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024.

Includes: Fast food · Quick-service restaurants · Takeout & delivery counters · Pizza delivery · Sandwich & burger chains. Counted together because official statistics use one 722513 code.

Statistically low ZIPs
12
Poisson p < 0.05
Comparable ZIPs
82
published count ≥ 5, ≥ 10,000 residents
U.S. rate
6.7
per 10,000 present

Coverage. Only the Tennessee counties BizGapMap covers, not the whole state. A missing state page means no ZIP there cleared the test — we do not publish an empty list.

Lowest measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A low published count can mean weak demand, no suitable space, commuters spending elsewhere, or businesses with no paid employees that ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally.

False positives. The test is one-sided at 5% with no correction for looking at many ZIPs. Of 82 comparable ZIPs here, about 4 could clear the bar by chance. Small ZIPs rarely reach significance, so “not on this list” does not mean “no gap”.

ZIP codes

ZIPCityCounty Fast foodExpected IndexBandZIP type ResidentsTest
38135 Memphis Shelby County 5 20.9 24% Far below average Residential 30,317 p < 0.001
38109 Memphis Shelby County 11 30.4 36% Far below average Residential 42,452 p < 0.001
38108 Memphis Shelby County 5 12.9 39% Far below average Residential 17,562 p ≈ 0.012
37931 Knoxville Knox County 11 23.6 47% Far below average Residential 31,842 p < 0.01
37377 Signal Mountain Hamilton County 6 12.1 50% Far below average Residential 17,188 p ≈ 0.044
37406 Chattanooga Hamilton County 6 11.9 50% Below average Mixed 13,364 p ≈ 0.048
38141 Memphis Shelby County 11 20.7 53% Below average Mixed 23,952 p ≈ 0.015
37212 Nashville Davidson County 10 18.5 54% Below average Mixed 20,592 p ≈ 0.024
37138 Old Hickory Davidson County 9 16.3 55% Below average Residential 22,575 p ≈ 0.037
38106 Memphis Shelby County 9 16.2 55% Below average Residential 20,962 p ≈ 0.039
37013 Antioch Davidson County 48 74.6 64% Below average Residential 105,212 p < 0.001
37086 La Vergne Rutherford County 23 34.5 67% Below average Mixed 38,872 p ≈ 0.025

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns. Sorted by measured density, lowest first.

How this is built

Who can be listed. ZIPs in the covered counties whose county has at least 15 ZIPs in our data, with at least 10,000 residents, and at least 5 published businesses in this industry. Census hides counts of 0–2; derived remainders are excluded.

Statistically low. P(X ≤ n | expected) < 0.05, where expected is the U.S. establishments-per-person-present rate times this ZIP’s demand (residents + 0.5 × jobs located here). Same definition as the index, so the percentage and the test cannot disagree. Full test →

ZIP type is jobs per resident, not zoning. A residential ZIP can look low because residents shop near work.

Questions

What does “lowest measured density” mean for fast food? A ZIP is listed only when Census published at least 5 fast food with paid employees, the ZIP has at least 10,000 residents, and a one-sided Poisson test finds the count statistically below the U.S. rate (p < 0.05). Index 100% is the national density per person present.

Is a low-density ZIP a place to open this kind of business? No. A low published count of fast food can mean weak demand, no suitable space, residents shopping near work, or businesses with no paid employees that Census ZBP does not count. Each line is a question to check locally, not a recommendation.

Why is a state missing from this list? A state page exists only when at least one ZIP in the counties we cover clears the same test as the radius search. We do not publish an empty list. Coverage is those counties, not the whole state.

← All states for fast food  ·  Fast food in Tennessee (county totals)  ·  Search by radius

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.