Groceries and convenience · County · Nebraska
Grocery stores in Custer County, NE
The grocery stores in Custer County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,839 of 2,070 scored counties
#19 of 21 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 5
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $26.1M
- On groceries · $5,800 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.2M
- 44% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.1
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,500
- 0.0% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Custer County
The site report maps the grocery 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 Custer County. 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
Custer County scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,839 of 2,070 scored counties and #19 of 21 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Custer County spend about $26.1M a year on groceries, or $5,800 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 5 grocery stores, that is $5.2M per store, 44% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Custer County has 5 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 11.1 per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Custer County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 750 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Custer County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Custer 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 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 | Custer County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.1 | 7.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.2M | $8.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 750 | 1,891 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,800 | $6,088 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $67,906 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 129
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 50 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in Custer 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 Custer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,5000.0% since 2020
- Households
- 4,502
- Median age
- 43.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 2,576 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4
- Median household income
- $67,906+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,495
- Median home value
- $157,800
- Jobs located here
- 4,714
- Daytime population
- 9,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Custer 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Custer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Custer County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sarpy County, NE | 95 | 26 | 3.5 | $19.1M | +9.0% | #13 of 2,070 |
| 2Lancaster County, NE | 72 | 63 | 4.7 | $12.8M | +3.4% | #351 of 2,070 |
| 3Douglas County, NE | 65 | 153 | 6.4 | $9.7M | +3.6% | #547 of 2,070 |
| 4Saunders County, NE | 62 | 6 | 6.7 | $9.5M | +6.0% | #627 of 2,070 |
| 5Platte County, NE | 62 | 9 | 6.6 | $9M | +3.9% | #632 of 2,070 |
| 6Scotts Bluff County, NE | 59 | 8 | 5.3 | $10.7M | −1.3% | #708 of 2,070 |
| 7Buffalo County, NE | 58 | 14 | 7.0 | $8.6M | +1.9% | #756 of 2,070 |
| 8Dakota County, NE | 40 | 5 | 6.7 | $8.8M | +0.7% | #1,342 of 2,070 |
| 9Dawson County, NE | 40 | 8 | 8.7 | $6.8M | +1.5% | #1,359 of 2,070 |
| 10Dodge County, NE | 38 | 13 | 8.6 | $6.9M | +2.6% | #1,427 of 2,070 |
| 19Custer County, NE | 22 | 5 | 11.1 | $5.2M | 0.0% | #1,839 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Custer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores28
- Grocery stores22
- Convenience stores
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 stores are in Custer County, NE?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 grocery stores in Custer County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Custer County, NE spend on groceries?
About $26.1M a year, or $5,800 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.2M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,502 households in Custer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Custer County, NE compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Custer County has 11.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.2M, 44% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Custer County would have about 3, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 750 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Custer County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Custer County at 10,500 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,502 households. The median household income in Custer County is $67,906 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. Custer County scores 22 for grocery stores (low), #1,839 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Custer County. It maps the grocery 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 stores · All 56 business types in Custer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Custer 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 Custer 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.