Market rankings · Nebraska
Restaurants and cafes in Nebraska
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Nebraska, ranked by the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 8,419
- 3,448 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 3,488
- +6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.1B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 105.5
- 4% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $374K
- In line with the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #23 of 51
- Market score 55 · Upper middle
A site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings around any address in Nebraska by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 8,419 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Nebraska as of September 2026. 3,448 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 105.5 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,946 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Nebraska spend about $3.1B a year on food away from home. That works out to $374K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nebraska was 3,488 in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 120 SBA-backed loans worth $61.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nebraska.
Among the 50 states and DC, Nebraska ranks #23 for restaurants and cafes, with a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle). Of the 4 scored metro areas in or partly in Nebraska, the Omaha metro area scores highest (69). Of the 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in Nebraska, the Beatrice area scores highest (67).
Every market in Nebraska for restaurants and cafes
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Nebraska, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Omaha, NE-IA | 69 | 4,042 | 103.7 | $406K | +4.2% | #70 of 387 |
| 2Lincoln, NE | 59 | 1,366 | 96.9 | $401K | +3.3% | #135 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 38 | 634 | 114.3 | $334K | +1.0% | #279 of 387 |
| 3Grand Island, NE | 34 | 363 | 119.8 | $305K | +1.5% | #308 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beatrice, NE | 67 | 90 | 96.5 | $372K | +0.2% | #105 of 538 |
| 2Columbus, NE | 67 | 181 | 104.2 | $361K | +3.8% | #106 of 538 |
| 3Hastings, NE | 54 | 165 | 96.7 | $381K | −0.2% | #221 of 538 |
| 4Fremont, NE | 54 | 159 | 104.8 | $355K | +2.6% | #226 of 538 |
| 5Norfolk, NE | 53 | 205 | 104.5 | $347K | +1.1% | #237 of 538 |
| 6Lexington, NE | 45 | 115 | 115.2 | $322K | +1.1% | #324 of 538 |
| 7Kearney, NE | 43 | 281 | 123.3 | $312K | +1.9% | #351 of 538 |
| 8North Platte, NE | 37 | 160 | 105.3 | $335K | −3.6% | #398 of 538 |
| 9Scottsbluff, NE | 29 | 170 | 110.5 | $314K | −1.2% | #465 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cass County, NE | 85 | 83 | 76.6 | $568K | +3.9% | #65 of 2,405 |
| 2Sarpy County, NE | 83 | 595 | 80.3 | $575K | +9.0% | #93 of 2,405 |
| 3Washington County, NE | 82 | 55 | 65.3 | $673K | +1.8% | #103 of 2,405 |
| 4Saunders County, NE | 76 | 84 | 94.4 | $455K | +6.0% | #228 of 2,405 |
| 5Colfax County, NE | 65 | 33 | 89.0 | $441K | +3.6% | #572 of 2,405 |
| 6Seward County, NE | 64 | 59 | 86.9 | $461K | +2.3% | #605 of 2,405 |
| 7Lancaster County, NE | 55 | 1,307 | 97.4 | $398K | +3.4% | #971 of 2,405 |
| 8Gage County, NE | 55 | 90 | 96.5 | $372K | +0.2% | #986 of 2,405 |
| 9Otoe County, NE | 55 | 77 | 120.6 | $328K | +3.9% | #992 of 2,405 |
| 10Saline County, NE | 52 | 58 | 112.8 | $341K | +1.9% | #1,111 of 2,405 |
| 11Platte County, NE | 51 | 148 | 108.4 | $343K | +3.9% | #1,164 of 2,405 |
| 12Douglas County, NE | 49 | 2,779 | 116.6 | $355K | +3.6% | #1,243 of 2,405 |
| 13Dodge County, NE | 43 | 159 | 104.8 | $355K | +2.6% | #1,495 of 2,405 |
| 14Custer County, NE | 41 | 42 | 93.3 | $383K | 0.0% | #1,563 of 2,405 |
| 15Adams County, NE | 38 | 129 | 98.7 | $374K | −0.3% | #1,687 of 2,405 |
| 16Box Butte County, NE | 37 | 46 | 102.1 | $332K | −3.0% | #1,748 of 2,405 |
| 17York County, NE | 36 | 71 | 124.3 | $305K | +3.3% | #1,793 of 2,405 |
| 18Dawson County, NE | 34 | 113 | 123.6 | $300K | +1.5% | #1,883 of 2,405 |
| 19Madison County, NE | 33 | 170 | 117.5 | $304K | +1.6% | #1,922 of 2,405 |
| 20Hall County, NE | 33 | 307 | 124.9 | $292K | +1.4% | #1,924 of 2,405 |
| 21Buffalo County, NE | 32 | 262 | 131.1 | $293K | +1.9% | #1,960 of 2,405 |
| 22Dakota County, NE | 31 | 92 | 123.3 | $297K | +0.7% | #1,986 of 2,405 |
| 23Holt County, NE | 30 | 44 | 108.6 | $328K | −0.3% | #2,024 of 2,405 |
| 24Lincoln County, NE | 29 | 159 | 106.8 | $330K | −3.6% | #2,062 of 2,405 |
| 25Red Willow County, NE | 24 | 48 | 106.6 | $333K | −3.5% | #2,204 of 2,405 |
Show all 93 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Scotts Bluff County, NE | 23 | 169 | 112.1 | $309K | −1.3% | #2,225 of 2,405 |
| Wayne County, NE | Not scored | 37 | 98.6 | $360K | +3.3% | |
| Cheyenne County, NE | Not scored | 60 | 134.4 | $248K | +0.4% | |
| Hamilton County, NE | Not scored | 36 | 99.2 | $404K | +2.9% | |
| Phelps County, NE | Not scored | 46 | 117.5 | $318K | +0.2% | |
| Cuming County, NE | Not scored | 38 | 99.8 | $375K | −2.1% | |
| Butler County, NE | Not scored | 26 | 73.8 | $528K | +1.8% | |
| Knox County, NE | Not scored | 35 | 102.3 | $337K | −0.5% | |
| Cedar County, NE | Not scored | 30 | 87.1 | $433K | 0.0% | |
| Keith County, NE | Not scored | 65 | 160.5 | $215K | −2.7% | |
| Dawes County, NE | Not scored | 45 | 130.3 | $258K | −3.7% | |
| Richardson County, NE | Not scored | 34 | 95.7 | $365K | −4.2% | |
| Merrick County, NE | Not scored | 27 | 84.2 | $419K | +3.3% | |
| Pierce County, NE | Not scored | 27 | 95.0 | $385K | +0.5% | |
| Jefferson County, NE | Not scored | 25 | 79.7 | $424K | −2.6% | |
| Nemaha County, NE | Not scored | 29 | 101.9 | $343K | +0.2% | |
| Burt County, NE | Not scored | 34 | 116.1 | $302K | −0.6% | |
| Kearney County, NE | Not scored | 19 | 67.5 | $581K | +1.5% | |
| Thurston County, NE | Not scored | 18 | 90.5 | $395K | −0.1% | |
| Howard County, NE | Not scored | 29 | 115.8 | $334K | +0.8% | |
| Antelope County, NE | Not scored | 28 | 106.2 | $329K | +1.0% | |
| Clay County, NE | Not scored | 20 | 80.3 | $473K | +1.1% | |
| Stanton County, NE | Not scored | 8 | 34.6 | $1.1M | −1.4% | |
| Dixon County, NE | Not scored | 28 | 128.0 | $289K | +0.4% | |
| Fillmore County, NE | Not scored | 24 | 101.8 | $374K | −2.0% | |
| Cherry County, NE | Not scored | 30 | 134.3 | $260K | +1.9% | |
| Boone County, NE | Not scored | 22 | 100.4 | $378K | −0.1% | |
| Johnson County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 82.0 | $418K | −1.4% | |
| Polk County, NE | Not scored | 23 | 108.8 | $345K | +1.1% | |
| Sheridan County, NE | Not scored | 23 | 109.1 | $319K | −5.7% | |
| Thayer County, NE | Not scored | 20 | 95.8 | $374K | −3.6% | |
| Furnas County, NE | Not scored | 20 | 99.5 | $335K | −2.2% | |
| Morrill County, NE | Not scored | 20 | 104.3 | $314K | −3.3% | |
| Nuckolls County, NE | Not scored | 19 | 99.0 | $376K | +0.2% | |
| Valley County, NE | Not scored | 20 | 111.4 | $325K | +0.9% | |
| Chase County, NE | Not scored | 17 | 115.2 | $309K | −4.4% | |
| Webster County, NE | Not scored | 16 | 107.2 | $325K | −1.6% | |
| Nance County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 104.3 | $333K | −3.0% | |
| Kimball County, NE | Not scored | 17 | 114.2 | $279K | −0.5% | |
| Sherman County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 52.8 | $647K | −1.2% | |
| Brown County, NE | Not scored | 13 | 102.0 | $323K | −2.6% | |
| Harlan County, NE | Not scored | 18 | 150.4 | $259K | −1.9% | |
| Franklin County, NE | Not scored | 12 | 92.8 | $376K | −3.1% | |
| Perkins County, NE | Not scored | 16 | 134.2 | $275K | −0.3% | |
| Frontier County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 130.4 | $267K | +6.0% | |
| Hitchcock County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 27.0 | $1.2M | −5.9% | |
| Pawnee County, NE | Not scored | 13 | 119.3 | $278K | −1.0% | |
| Greeley County, NE | Not scored | 5 | 52.2 | $653K | −1.3% | |
| Gosper County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 23.9 | $1.6M | −4.8% | |
| Deuel County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 167.3 | $211K | +1.6% | |
| Garden County, NE | Not scored | 13 | 151.5 | $185K | −4.5% | |
| Dundy County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 115.5 | $290K | −5.2% | |
| Garfield County, NE | Not scored | 11 | 156.9 | $218K | −5.4% | |
| Boyd County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 134.4 | $265K | −7.5% | |
| Rock County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 33.3 | $1M | −0.7% | |
| Sioux County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 20.4 | $1.7M | +3.7% | |
| Wheeler County, NE | Not scored | 8 | 222.8 | $163K | +2.1% | |
| Hayes County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 79.6 | $422K | −3.2% | |
| Keya Paha County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 66.2 | $545K | +4.2% | |
| Logan County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 33.4 | $1.1M | −6.0% | |
| Banner County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 32.8 | $1.2M | +1.0% | |
| Hooker County, NE | Not scored | 5 | 152.9 | $202K | −2.8% | |
| Grant County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 35.2 | $972K | −8.3% | |
| Loup County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 123.0 | $285K | −6.1% | |
| Thomas County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 65.8 | $493K | −4.8% | |
| Arthur County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 162.2 | $246K | −7.9% | |
| McPherson County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 141.5 | $236K | −6.8% | |
| Blaine County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 101.5 | $329K | +6.8% |
Markets with fewer than 5 restaurants and cafes on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Nebraska?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8,419 restaurants and cafes in Nebraska. 3,448 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 3,488 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. Official counts list 557 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nebraska spend on food away from home?
About $3.1B a year, or $3,946 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8,419 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $374K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 797,847 households in Nebraska and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nebraska compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Nebraska has 105.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $374K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Nebraska would have about 8,490, against 8,419 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
Which market in Nebraska has the highest market score for restaurants and cafes?
Among 4 scored metro areas in or partly in Nebraska, the Omaha metro area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in Nebraska, the Beatrice area scores highest, at 67 (upper middle). Among 26 scored counties in Nebraska, Cass County scores highest, at 85 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Nebraska scores 55 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #23 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nebraska. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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.
Restaurants and cafes in other states
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Top markets for restaurants and cafes across the U.S. · All business types in Nebraska
Related business types in Nebraska
- Sit-down restaurants4,133 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops1,157 listings
- Pizza727 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,029 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops632 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nebraska?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.