Food and drink · Metro area · Nebraska
Coffee shops and cafes in the Lincoln, NE metro area
How the Lincoln, NE metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #285 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 3 scored metro areas based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 173
- 93 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 106
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +39.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $547.6M
- On food away from home · $3,886 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.2M
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 352,081
- +3.3% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Lincoln metro 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 Lincoln metro 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 173 coffee shops and cafes in the Lincoln metro area. 93 of them (54%) are chain locations, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.3, 12% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in the Lincoln metro area comes to about $547.6M a year: $3,886 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.2M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 15% 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 Lincoln metro area was 106 in 2023, up 39.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,329 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. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Lincoln metro area.
Population estimates show the Lincoln metro area grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Lincoln metro area scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #285 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 3 scored metro areas based in Nebraska.
How the Lincoln metro 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 | Lincoln metro area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 12.9 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3.2M | $3.1M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,329 | 1,602 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +39.5% | +35.3% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,886 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,049 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 106All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +39.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,531
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17393 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 148The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Lincoln metro 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 Lincoln metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 352,081+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 140,914
- Median age
- 36.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,409 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 244
- Median household income
- $75,049+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,431
- Median home value
- $273,500
- Jobs located here
- 186,541
- Daytime population
- 361,853Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lincoln metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Lincoln metro 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 metro areas in Nebraska for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Nebraska (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Lincoln metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Omaha, NE-IA | 50 | 515 | 13.2 | $3.2M | +4.2% | #200 of 387 |
| 2Grand Island, NE | 41 | 31 | 10.2 | $3.6M | +1.5% | #271 of 387 |
| 3Lincoln, NE | 39 | 173 | 12.3 | $3.2M | +3.3% | #285 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 35 | 73 | 13.2 | $2.9M | +1.0% | #312 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lincoln metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes59
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Lincoln, NE metro area?
There are 173 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in the Lincoln metro area as of September 2026. 93 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 39.5% from 2019. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lincoln, NE metro area spend on food away from home?
About $547.6M a year, or $3,886 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 173 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $3.2M 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 140,914 households in the Lincoln metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lincoln, NE metro area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Lincoln metro area has 12.3 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $3.2M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Lincoln metro area would have about 148, against 173 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,329 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 39.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lincoln, NE metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lincoln metro area at 352,081 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 140,914 households. The median household income in the Lincoln metro area is $75,049 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. The Lincoln metro area scores 39 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #285 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lincoln metro 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 Lincoln metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lincoln metro 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 Lincoln metro 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.