Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Nebraska
Grocery stores in the Lincoln, NE metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in the Lincoln, NE metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #76 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 3 scored metro areas based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 64
- 23 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 54
- −1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $850.6M
- On groceries · $6,037 a household
- Spending per listing
- $13.3M
- 43% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 352,081
- +3.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Lincoln metro area
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 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
Household spending on groceries in the Lincoln metro area comes to about $850.6M a year: $6,037 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $13.3M per store, 43% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
The Lincoln metro area has 64 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 23 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 4.5 for every 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Lincoln metro area in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,610 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $527K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Lincoln metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Lincoln metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Lincoln metro area scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #76 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 3 scored metro areas based in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
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 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 | Lincoln metro area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.5 | 7.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $13.3M | $8.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,610 | 1,891 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.8% | +1.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,037 | $6,088 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $75,049 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54−1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,220
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $81.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6423 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 92The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $527K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores 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.
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 grocery stores 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 cardGrocery stores across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Nebraska for grocery stores, 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 | 70 | 216 | 5.5 | $11.4M | +4.2% | #60 of 387 |
| 2Lincoln, NE | 67 | 64 | 4.5 | $13.3M | +3.3% | #76 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 38 | 33 | 5.9 | $10M | +1.0% | #271 of 387 |
| 3Grand Island, NE | 19 | 27 | 8.9 | $6.5M | +1.5% | #371 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
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores77
- Grocery stores67
- Convenience stores79
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 the Lincoln, NE metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 64 grocery stores in the Lincoln metro area. 23 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019.
How much do households in the Lincoln, NE metro area spend on groceries?
About $850.6M a year, or $6,037 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $13.3M 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 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 grocery stores?
The Lincoln metro area has 4.5 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $13.3M, 43% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Lincoln metro area would have about 92, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,610 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% 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 67 for grocery stores (upper middle), #76 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 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 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.