Market rankings · Nebraska
Fast food and sandwich shops in Nebraska
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Nebraska, ranked by the Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,157
- 1,038 chain locations (90%)
- Official establishments
- 1,517
- All limited-service restaurants · +6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.1B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.5
- 9% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 11% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #27 of 51
- Market score 48 · Lower middle
A site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings around any address in Nebraska by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 1,157 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Nebraska as of September 2026. Of those, 1,038 are chain locations, or 90%, against 79% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.5, 9% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Households in Nebraska spend about $3.1B a year on food away from home, or $3,946 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,157 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $2.7M per shop, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,517 businesses with payroll in Nebraska classed as limited-service restaurants, up 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 526 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.1% over the same years. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Since fiscal 2022, 40 SBA-backed loans worth $22.6M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Nebraska.
Among the 50 states and DC, Nebraska ranks #27 for fast food and sandwich shops, with a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle). Of the 4 scored metro areas in or partly in Nebraska, the Omaha metro area scores highest (69). Of the 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in Nebraska, the Beatrice area scores highest (71).
Every market in Nebraska for fast food and sandwich shops
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Nebraska, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Omaha, NE-IA | 69 | 523 | 13.4 | $3.1M | +4.2% | #78 of 387 |
| 2Lincoln, NE | 47 | 208 | 14.8 | $2.6M | +3.3% | #219 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 39 | 93 | 16.8 | $2.3M | +1.0% | #267 of 387 |
| 3Grand Island, NE | 37 | 57 | 18.8 | $1.9M | +1.5% | #278 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beatrice, NE | 71 | 11 | 11.8 | $3M | +0.2% | #82 of 537 |
| 2Columbus, NE | 64 | 25 | 14.4 | $2.6M | +3.8% | #146 of 537 |
| 3Hastings, NE | 53 | 24 | 14.1 | $2.6M | −0.2% | #250 of 537 |
| 4Lexington, NE | 46 | 18 | 18.0 | $2.1M | +1.1% | #317 of 537 |
| 5Fremont, NE | 45 | 27 | 17.8 | $2.1M | +2.6% | #327 of 537 |
| 6Norfolk, NE | 44 | 31 | 15.8 | $2.3M | +1.1% | #334 of 537 |
| 7Kearney, NE | 37 | 48 | 21.1 | $1.8M | +1.9% | #395 of 537 |
| 8Scottsbluff, NE | 25 | 28 | 18.2 | $1.9M | −1.2% | #475 of 537 |
| 9North Platte, NE | 23 | 29 | 19.1 | $1.8M | −3.6% | #480 of 537 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Saunders County, NE | 91 | 8 | 9.0 | $4.8M | +6.0% | #12 of 2,222 |
| 2Cass County, NE | 87 | 11 | 10.2 | $4.3M | +3.9% | #35 of 2,222 |
| 3Washington County, NE | 86 | 6 | 7.1 | $6.2M | +1.8% | #39 of 2,222 |
| 4Sarpy County, NE | 77 | 91 | 12.3 | $3.8M | +9.0% | #194 of 2,222 |
| 5Custer County, NE | 63 | 5 | 11.1 | $3.2M | 0.0% | #618 of 2,222 |
| 6Gage County, NE | 60 | 11 | 11.8 | $3M | +0.2% | #750 of 2,222 |
| 7Seward County, NE | 59 | 9 | 13.3 | $3M | +2.3% | #789 of 2,222 |
| 8Saline County, NE | 59 | 8 | 15.6 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #801 of 2,222 |
| 9Douglas County, NE | 56 | 346 | 14.5 | $2.9M | +3.6% | #916 of 2,222 |
| 10Lancaster County, NE | 49 | 199 | 14.8 | $2.6M | +3.4% | #1,185 of 2,222 |
| 11Otoe County, NE | 48 | 11 | 17.2 | $2.3M | +3.9% | #1,242 of 2,222 |
| 12Platte County, NE | 42 | 23 | 16.8 | $2.2M | +3.9% | #1,453 of 2,222 |
| 13Dodge County, NE | 38 | 27 | 17.8 | $2.1M | +2.6% | #1,583 of 2,222 |
| 14Dakota County, NE | 36 | 12 | 16.1 | $2.3M | +0.7% | #1,640 of 2,222 |
| 15Dawson County, NE | 36 | 18 | 19.7 | $1.9M | +1.5% | #1,656 of 2,222 |
| 16Hall County, NE | 35 | 48 | 19.5 | $1.9M | +1.4% | #1,688 of 2,222 |
| 17York County, NE | 35 | 15 | 26.3 | $1.4M | +3.3% | #1,693 of 2,222 |
| 18Adams County, NE | 31 | 21 | 16.1 | $2.3M | −0.3% | #1,803 of 2,222 |
| 19Box Butte County, NE | 31 | 8 | 17.8 | $1.9M | −3.0% | #1,820 of 2,222 |
| 20Madison County, NE | 28 | 27 | 18.7 | $1.9M | +1.6% | #1,903 of 2,222 |
| 21Buffalo County, NE | 28 | 45 | 22.5 | $1.7M | +1.9% | #1,910 of 2,222 |
| 22Red Willow County, NE | 23 | 8 | 17.8 | $2M | −3.5% | #1,999 of 2,222 |
| 23Lincoln County, NE | 21 | 28 | 18.8 | $1.9M | −3.6% | #2,036 of 2,222 |
| 24Scotts Bluff County, NE | 20 | 28 | 18.6 | $1.9M | −1.3% | #2,057 of 2,222 |
| Colfax County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 5.4 | $7.3M | +3.6% |
Show all 93 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holt County, NE | Not scored | 4 | 9.9 | $3.6M | −0.3% | |
| Wayne County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 24.0 | $1.5M | +3.3% | |
| Cheyenne County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 20.2 | $1.7M | +0.4% | |
| Hamilton County, NE | Not scored | 4 | 11.0 | $3.6M | +2.9% | |
| Phelps County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 25.5 | $1.5M | +0.2% | |
| Cuming County, NE | Not scored | 6 | 15.8 | $2.4M | −2.1% | |
| Butler County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 5.7 | $6.9M | +1.8% | |
| Knox County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 5.8 | $5.9M | −0.5% | |
| Cedar County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 5.8 | $6.5M | 0.0% | |
| Keith County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 34.6 | $996K | −2.7% | |
| Dawes County, NE | Not scored | 8 | 23.2 | $1.5M | −3.7% | |
| Richardson County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 8.4 | $4.1M | −4.2% | |
| Merrick County, NE | Not scored | 6 | 18.7 | $1.9M | +3.3% | |
| Pierce County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 10.6 | $3.5M | +0.5% | |
| Jefferson County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 9.6 | $3.5M | −2.6% | |
| Nemaha County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 10.5 | $3.3M | +0.2% | |
| Burt County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 3.4 | $10.3M | −0.6% | |
| Kearney County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 10.7 | $3.7M | +1.5% | |
| Thurston County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 5.0 | $7.1M | −0.1% | |
| Howard County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 12.0 | $3.2M | +0.8% | |
| Antelope County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 11.4 | $3.1M | +1.0% | |
| Clay County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 8.0 | $4.7M | +1.1% | |
| Stanton County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 4.3 | $9M | −1.4% | |
| Dixon County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +0.4% | |
| Fillmore County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 12.7 | $3M | −2.0% | |
| Cherry County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 13.4 | $2.6M | +1.9% | |
| Boone County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 9.1 | $4.2M | −0.1% | |
| Johnson County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 5.9 | $5.9M | −1.4% | |
| Polk County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 14.2 | $2.6M | +1.1% | |
| Sheridan County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 4.7 | $7.3M | −5.7% | |
| Thayer County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 4.8 | $7.5M | −3.6% | |
| Furnas County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 10.0 | $3.3M | −2.2% | |
| Morrill County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 10.4 | $3.1M | −3.3% | |
| Nuckolls County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 5.2 | $7.1M | +0.2% | |
| Valley County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 16.7 | $2.2M | +0.9% | |
| Chase County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 20.3 | $1.8M | −4.4% | |
| Webster County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 6.7 | $5.2M | −1.6% | |
| Nance County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 7.5 | $4.7M | −3.0% | |
| Kimball County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 20.1 | $1.6M | −0.5% | |
| Sherman County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.2% | |
| Brown County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 7.8 | $4.2M | −2.6% | |
| Harlan County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 25.1 | $1.6M | −1.9% | |
| Franklin County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.1% | |
| Perkins County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 8.4 | $4.4M | −0.3% | |
| Frontier County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 9.3 | $3.7M | +6.0% | |
| Hitchcock County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.9% | |
| Pawnee County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.0% | |
| Greeley County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.3% | |
| Gosper County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.8% | |
| Deuel County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 11.9 | $3M | +1.6% | |
| Garden County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.5% | |
| Dundy County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 12.8 | $2.6M | −5.2% | |
| Garfield County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 14.3 | $2.4M | −5.4% | |
| Boyd County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −7.5% | |
| Rock County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.7% | |
| Sioux County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +3.7% | |
| Wheeler County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +2.1% | |
| Hayes County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.2% | |
| Keya Paha County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +4.2% | |
| Logan County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 33.4 | $1.1M | −6.0% | |
| Banner County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +1.0% | |
| Hooker County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.8% | |
| Grant County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −8.3% | |
| Loup County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −6.1% | |
| Thomas County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.8% | |
| Arthur County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −7.9% | |
| McPherson County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −6.8% | |
| Blaine County, NE | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | +6.8% |
Markets with fewer than 5 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Nebraska?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,157 fast food and sandwich shops in Nebraska. 1,038 of them (90%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 1,517 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 179 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nebraska spend on food away from home?
About $3.1B a year, or $3,946 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,157 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.7M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 797,847 households in Nebraska and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nebraska compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Nebraska has 14.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.7M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Nebraska would have about 1,032, against 1,157 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 526 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.
Which market in Nebraska has the highest market score for fast food and sandwich shops?
Among 4 scored metro areas in or partly in Nebraska, the Omaha metro area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in Nebraska, the Beatrice area scores highest, at 71 (upper middle). Among 24 scored counties in Nebraska, Saunders County scores highest, at 91 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Nebraska scores 48 for fast food and sandwich shops (lower middle), #27 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nebraska. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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.
Fast food and sandwich shops in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops across the U.S. · All business types in Nebraska
Related business types in Nebraska
- Restaurants and cafes8,419 listings
- Sit-down restaurants4,133 listings
- Pizza727 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,029 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops632 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nebraska?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.