Health care · Small-town market · Nebraska
Medical and dental practices in the Columbus, NE area
The medical and dental practices 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 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #67 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 82
- 7 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- −10.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $23.9M
- On medical and dental services · $1,374 a household
- Spending per listing
- $291K
- 91% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.2
- 44% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Columbus area
The site report maps the medical and dental practices 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 $1,374 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in the Columbus area spend about $23.9M a year on medical and dental services. That works out to $291K per practice, 91% above the U.S. figure of $152K.
The Columbus area has 82 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 9%, against 11% across the U.S. That is 47.2 per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 84.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 57 businesses with payroll in the Columbus area classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers, down 10.2% from 2019. That is one for every 305 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1M has gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Columbus area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbus area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices, ranking #67 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 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 medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices 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 | 47.2 | 72.7 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $291K | $197K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 305 | 295 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.2% | −3.2% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,374 | $1,432 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57−10.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 578
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 827 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 156The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers 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 medical and dental practices 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 cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for medical and dental practices, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beatrice, NE | 80 | 38 | 40.7 | $324K | +0.2% | #26 of 538 |
| 2Lexington, NE | 72 | 37 | 37.1 | $366K | +1.1% | #66 of 538 |
| 3Columbus, NE | 72 | 82 | 47.2 | $291K | +3.8% | #67 of 538 |
| 4Fremont, NE | 56 | 112 | 73.8 | $185K | +2.6% | #217 of 538 |
| 5Kearney, NE | 45 | 199 | 87.3 | $161K | +1.9% | #329 of 538 |
| 6Hastings, NE | 44 | 129 | 75.6 | $178K | −0.2% | #333 of 538 |
| 7Scottsbluff, NE | 41 | 112 | 72.8 | $177K | −1.2% | #358 of 538 |
| 8North Platte, NE | 39 | 109 | 71.8 | $182K | −3.6% | #372 of 538 |
| 9Norfolk, NE | 32 | 221 | 112.7 | $118K | +1.1% | #436 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
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics72
- Dentists and orthodontists82
- Primary care and pediatrics77
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors40
- Physical therapy67
- Optometrists and eye care83
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in the Columbus, NE area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 82 medical and dental practices in the Columbus area. 7 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, down 10.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on medical and dental services?
About $23.9M a year, or $1,374 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 82 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $291K per practice. 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 medical and dental practices?
The Columbus area has 47.2 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $291K, 91% above the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 156, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 305 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for 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 72 for medical and dental practices (upper middle), #67 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 medical and dental practices 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 medical and dental practices · 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.