Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Nebraska
Grocery and convenience stores in the Columbus, NE area
The grocery and convenience stores in the Columbus, NE area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #173 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 42
- 7 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $103.6M
- On groceries · $5,968 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.2
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Columbus area
The site report maps the grocery and convenience stores 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
At $5,968 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbus area spend about $103.6M a year on groceries. Spread across 42 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.5M per store, 27% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The Columbus area has 42 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 17%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 24.2 for every 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in the Columbus area classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,579 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, the Columbus area has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #173 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 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 groceries by the grocery and convenience stores 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 | 24.2 | 19.5 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $3.1M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,579 | 1,662 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,968 | $6,088 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11
- Employees, 2023
- 782
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 427 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 grocery and convenience stores 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.
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 grocery and convenience stores 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 cardGrocery and convenience stores across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for grocery and convenience stores, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kearney, NE | 75 | 45 | 19.7 | $3M | +1.9% | #40 of 538 |
| 2Hastings, NE | 66 | 29 | 17.0 | $3.4M | −0.2% | #115 of 538 |
| 3Scottsbluff, NE | 63 | 27 | 17.6 | $3.2M | −1.2% | #142 of 538 |
| 4Columbus, NE | 61 | 42 | 24.2 | $2.5M | +3.8% | #173 of 538 |
| 5Norfolk, NE | 59 | 36 | 18.4 | $3.2M | +1.1% | #185 of 538 |
| 6Fremont, NE | 53 | 35 | 23.1 | $2.6M | +2.6% | #257 of 538 |
| 7Lexington, NE | 46 | 28 | 28.1 | $2.1M | +1.1% | #324 of 538 |
| 8Beatrice, NE | 44 | 25 | 26.8 | $2.2M | +0.2% | #343 of 538 |
| 9North Platte, NE | 42 | 37 | 24.4 | $2.3M | −3.6% | #364 of 538 |
Other business types in the Columbus area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores61
- Grocery stores50
- Convenience stores82
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in the Columbus, NE area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 42 grocery and convenience stores in the Columbus area. 7 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on groceries?
About $103.6M a year, or $5,968 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
The Columbus area has 24.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.5M, 27% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 31, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,579 households, against one for every 1,293 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 61 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #173 of 538 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 grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores · 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.