Home services · Small-town market · Nebraska
HVAC and plumbing companies in the Columbus, NE area
The HVAC and plumbing companies 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 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #96 of 476 scored small-town markets
#1 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 8
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $45.8M
- On home repairs, maintenance and insurance · $2,635 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.7M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the HVAC and plumbing companies around any address in the Columbus area
The site report maps the HVAC and plumbing companies 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 HVAC and plumbing companies in the Columbus area. None of them are chain locations, against 4% across the U.S. That is 4.6 per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 6.3.
At $2,635 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbus area spend about $45.8M a year on home repairs, maintenance and insurance. That is about $5.7M of household spending for each company on map listings, 20% above the U.S. figure of $4.8M. That spending covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, which HVAC and plumbing companies share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Columbus area classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors. That is one for every 914 households, against one for every 1,162 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for HVAC and plumbing companies in the Columbus area is 64 (upper middle), #96 of 476 scored small-town markets and #1 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
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 home repairs, maintenance and insurance by the HVAC and plumbing companies 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 | 4.6 | 6.4 | 6.3 |
| Spending per listing | $5.7M | $4.3M | $4.8M |
| Households per official establishment | 914 | 953 | 1,162 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.7% | +7.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on home repairs, maintenance and insurance | $2,635 | $2,751 | $3,018 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19
- Employees, 2023
- 126
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 80 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors 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 HVAC and plumbing companies 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 cardHVAC and plumbing across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for HVAC and plumbing companies, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, NE | 64 | 8 | 4.6 | $5.7M | +3.8% | #96 of 476 |
| 2Lexington, NE | 64 | 5 | 5.0 | $5.2M | +1.1% | #97 of 476 |
| 3Hastings, NE | 48 | 9 | 5.3 | $4.9M | −0.2% | #254 of 476 |
| 4Fremont, NE | 40 | 13 | 8.6 | $3M | +2.6% | #341 of 476 |
| 5Norfolk, NE | 39 | 14 | 7.1 | $3.6M | +1.1% | #346 of 476 |
| 6North Platte, NE | 37 | 8 | 5.3 | $4.7M | −3.6% | #368 of 476 |
| 7Kearney, NE | 30 | 28 | 12.3 | $2.2M | +1.9% | #430 of 476 |
| 8Scottsbluff, NE | 28 | 12 | 7.8 | $3.1M | −1.2% | #440 of 476 |
| 9Beatrice, NE | 25 | 8 | 8.6 | $2.9M | +0.2% | #451 of 476 |
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
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many HVAC and plumbing companies are in the Columbus, NE area?
The Columbus area has 8 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count heating and air-conditioning companies and plumbers. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors in 2023.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on home repairs, maintenance and insurance?
About $45.8M a year, or $2,635 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 HVAC and plumbing companies on map listings, it comes to $5.7M per company. The spending figure covers all home repairs, maintenance and insurance, not only HVAC and plumbing companies. 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 HVAC and plumbing companies?
The Columbus area has 4.6 HVAC and plumbing companies per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 6.3. Spending per company is $5.7M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $4.8M. At the national ratio of HVAC and plumbing companies to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 10, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 914 households, against one for every 1,162 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 64 for HVAC and plumbing companies (upper middle), #96 of 476 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 HVAC and plumbing companies 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 HVAC and plumbing companies · 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.