Food and drink · Small-town market · Nebraska
Coffee shops and cafes in the Columbus, NE area
How the Columbus, NE area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #198 of 529 scored small-town markets
#2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 19
- 9 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $65.4M
- On food away from home · $3,766 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.9
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Columbus area
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 the Columbus area. 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 19 coffee shops and cafes in the Columbus area. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 47%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.9, in line with the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Households in the Columbus area spend about $65.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,766 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.4M per cafe, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Columbus area was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 1,737 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $620K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Columbus area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbus area scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #198 of 529 scored small-town markets and #2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska.
How the Columbus area 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 | Columbus area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.9 | 12.9 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,737 | 1,602 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +35.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,766 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 154
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 199 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $620K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Columbus area, 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 the Columbus area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,583+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 17,365
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $75,378
- Average household income
- $93,046
- Median home value
- $210,600
- Jobs located here
- 25,969
- Daytime population
- 46,840Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Columbus area. 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 small-town markets in Nebraska for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Columbus area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beatrice, NE | 68 | 7 | 7.5 | $4.8M | +0.2% | #72 of 529 |
| 2Columbus, NE | 57 | 19 | 10.9 | $3.4M | +3.8% | #198 of 529 |
| 3Fremont, NE | 55 | 16 | 10.5 | $3.5M | +2.6% | #218 of 529 |
| 4Norfolk, NE | 54 | 21 | 10.7 | $3.4M | +1.1% | #224 of 529 |
| 5Kearney, NE | 46 | 32 | 14.0 | $2.7M | +1.9% | #309 of 529 |
| 6Hastings, NE | 42 | 20 | 11.7 | $3.1M | −0.2% | #351 of 529 |
| 7Lexington, NE | 41 | 14 | 14.0 | $2.6M | +1.1% | #365 of 529 |
| 8North Platte, NE | 36 | 16 | 10.5 | $3.3M | −3.6% | #415 of 529 |
| 9Scottsbluff, NE | 35 | 19 | 12.4 | $2.8M | −1.2% | #435 of 529 |
Other business types in the Columbus area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 the Columbus, NE area?
There are 19 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in the Columbus area as of September 2026. 9 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on food away from home?
About $65.4M a year, or $3,766 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,365 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, NE area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Columbus area has 10.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.4M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 18, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,737 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus area at 46,583 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,365 households. The median household income in the Columbus area is $75,378 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Columbus area scores 57 for coffee shops and cafes (upper middle), #198 of 529 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus area. 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 the Columbus area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus area?
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 the Columbus area. 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.