Food and drink · Small-town market · Nebraska
Restaurants and cafes in the Columbus, NE area
The restaurants and cafes 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #106 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 181
- 77 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- +17.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $65.4M
- On food away from home · $3,766 a household
- Spending per listing
- $361K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 104.2
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Columbus area
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 181 restaurants and cafes in the Columbus area. 77 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 104.2 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Columbus area spend about $65.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,766 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 181 restaurants and cafes, that is $361K per restaurant, 3% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 68 businesses with payroll in the Columbus area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 17.2% from 2019. That is one for every 255 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $5.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Columbus area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbus area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Columbus area is 67 (upper middle), #106 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 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 food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | 104.2 | 105.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $361K | $374K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 255 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.2% | +6.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,766 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 68+17.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,038
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18177 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 176The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $5.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places 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 restaurants and cafes 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 cardRestaurants and cafes across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for restaurants and cafes, 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 | 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 |
Other business types in the Columbus area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 restaurants and cafes are in the Columbus, NE area?
The Columbus area has 181 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 77 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 17.2% from 2019. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Columbus, NE area spend on food away from home?
About $65.4M a year, or $3,766 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 181 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $361K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
The Columbus area has 104.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $361K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 176, against 181 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 255 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% 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 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #106 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 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.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · 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.