Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Coffee shops and cafes in Buffalo County, NE
How Buffalo County, NE compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,564 of 2,063 scored counties
#16 of 24 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 30
- 14 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $76.7M
- On food away from home · $3,840 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.6M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.0
- 36% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,172
- +1.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Buffalo County
The site report maps the coffee shops 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 Buffalo 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
The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Buffalo County is 36 (lower middle), #1,564 of 2,063 scored counties and #16 of 24 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Buffalo County spend about $76.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,840 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 30 coffee shops and cafes, that is $2.6M per cafe, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Buffalo County has 30 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 47%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.0, 36% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 14 businesses with payroll in Buffalo County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Population estimates put the population change in Buffalo County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buffalo County compares
The same measures for Nebraska and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops 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 | Buffalo County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.0 | 12.9 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.6M | $3.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,427 | 1,602 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +35.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,840 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,911 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 14All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 189
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3014 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The 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 snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Buffalo 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in Buffalo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,172+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 19,984
- Median age
- 36.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 968 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $75,911+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,897
- Median home value
- $246,400
- Jobs located here
- 27,301
- Daytime population
- 53,561Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buffalo 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 coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Buffalo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Buffalo County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cass County, NE | 81 | 8 | 7.4 | $5.9M | +3.9% | #92 of 2,063 |
| 2Saunders County, NE | 72 | 10 | 11.2 | $3.8M | +6.0% | #258 of 2,063 |
| 3Washington County, NE | 69 | 8 | 9.5 | $4.6M | +1.8% | #337 of 2,063 |
| 4Gage County, NE | 63 | 7 | 7.5 | $4.8M | +0.2% | #501 of 2,063 |
| 5Sarpy County, NE | 58 | 100 | 13.5 | $3.4M | +9.0% | #707 of 2,063 |
| 6Otoe County, NE | 53 | 7 | 11.0 | $3.6M | +3.9% | #904 of 2,063 |
| 7Platte County, NE | 52 | 15 | 11.0 | $3.4M | +3.9% | #951 of 2,063 |
| 8Seward County, NE | 48 | 7 | 10.3 | $3.9M | +2.3% | #1,094 of 2,063 |
| 9Dodge County, NE | 48 | 16 | 10.5 | $3.5M | +2.6% | #1,100 of 2,063 |
| 10Saline County, NE | 48 | 6 | 11.7 | $3.3M | +1.9% | #1,110 of 2,063 |
| 16Buffalo County, NE | 36 | 30 | 15.0 | $2.6M | +1.9% | #1,564 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Buffalo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 coffee shops and cafes are in Buffalo County, NE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 30 coffee shops and cafes in Buffalo County. 14 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too.
How much do households in Buffalo County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $76.7M a year, or $3,840 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,984 households in Buffalo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buffalo County, NE compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Buffalo County has 15.0 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.6M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Buffalo County would have about 21, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,427 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Buffalo County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Buffalo County at 51,172 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,984 households. Median household income in Buffalo County is $75,911, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Buffalo County scores 36 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,564 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buffalo County. It maps the coffee shops 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 coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in Buffalo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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.