Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Nebraska

Grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County, NE

How Lincoln County, NE compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,520 of 2,402 scored counties
#20 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska

Listings
35
12 chain locations (34%)
Official establishments
8
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$85.2M
On groceries · $5,721 a household
Spending per listing
$2.4M
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
23.5
26% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
33,303
−3.6% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Lincoln County

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 Lincoln County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Lincoln County spend about $85.2M a year on groceries, or $5,721 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.4M per store, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

There are 35 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 23.5 for every 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 1,861 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $93K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County.

Population estimates put the population change in Lincoln County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery and convenience stores, Lincoln County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,520 of 2,402 scored counties and #20 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska.

How Lincoln County 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County, NE compared with Nebraska and the U.S.
MeasureLincoln CountyNebraskaU.S.
Listings per 10k households23.519.518.7
Spending per listing$2.4M$3.1M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,8611,6621,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.5%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.6%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,721$6,088$6,319
Median household income$65,148$76,475$80,734
Groundwork market score4252

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 8
Employees, 2023
151
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3512 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$93K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln 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.

Population and households in Lincoln County

Population, 2025 estimate
33,303−3.6% since 2020
Households
14,890
Median age
42.6
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
2,564 sq. mi.
People per square mile
13
Median household income
$65,148+9.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,130
Median home value
$189,500
Jobs located here
14,473
Daytime population
33,764Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Lincoln County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery and convenience stores across Nebraska

Every Nebraska market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Lincoln County marked.

Top counties in Nebraska

Counties in Nebraska ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sarpy County, NE96739.9$6.8M+9.0%#5 of 2,402
2Washington County, NE83910.7$6.1M+1.8%#121 of 2,402
3Cass County, NE831715.7$4.1M+3.9%#133 of 2,402
4Seward County, NE8268.8$7M+2.3%#142 of 2,402
5Lancaster County, NE8017312.9$4.7M+3.4%#179 of 2,402
6Douglas County, NE7738716.2$3.8M+3.6%#247 of 2,402
7Platte County, NE742417.6$3.4M+3.9%#331 of 2,402
8Adams County, NE721813.8$4.3M−0.3%#384 of 2,402
9Saunders County, NE701719.1$3.4M+6.0%#446 of 2,402
10Buffalo County, NE674120.5$2.9M+1.9%#541 of 2,402
20Lincoln County, NE423523.5$2.4M−3.6%#1,520 of 2,402

Other business types in Lincoln County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Lincoln County, NE?

As of September 2026, map listings count 35 grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County. 12 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lincoln County, NE spend on groceries?

About $85.2M a year, or $5,721 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,890 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lincoln County, NE compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Lincoln County has 23.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.4M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 25, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,861 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.

How fast is Lincoln County, NE growing?

Population estimates put Lincoln County at 33,303 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,890 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $65,148 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 9.0% 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. Lincoln County scores 42 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,520 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln County. 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 Lincoln County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.