Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Restaurants and cafes in Douglas County, NE
The restaurants and cafes in Douglas County, NE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,243 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 2,779
- 1,099 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 1,150
- +6.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $987.1M
- On food away from home · $4,140 a household
- Spending per listing
- $355K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 116.6
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 606,460
- +3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Douglas County
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 Douglas County. 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 $4,140 per household (2% above the U.S. average), households in Douglas County spend about $987.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $355K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 2,779 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Douglas County as of September 2026. Of those, 1,099 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 116.6 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Douglas County was 1,150 in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 169 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 36 SBA-backed loans worth $20.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Douglas County.
Population estimates put the population change in Douglas County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Douglas County is 49 (lower middle), #1,243 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska.
How Douglas County 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 | Douglas County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 116.6 | 105.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $355K | $374K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 207 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.3% | +6.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,140 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,391 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,082 → 1,150+6.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 25,343
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $567.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 169Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,7791,099 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,662The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 36
- Amount
- $20.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Douglas County, 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 Douglas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 606,460+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 238,430
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 327 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,809
- Median household income
- $80,391+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,185
- Median home value
- $266,100
- Jobs located here
- 360,817
- Daytime population
- 660,547Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Douglas County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Douglas County. 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 counties in Nebraska for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Douglas County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| 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 |
| 12Douglas County, NE | 49 | 2,779 | 116.6 | $355K | +3.6% | #1,243 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Douglas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Douglas County, NE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,779 restaurants and cafes in Douglas County. 1,099 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,150 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 169 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Douglas County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $987.1M a year, or $4,140 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,779 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $355K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 238,430 households in Douglas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Douglas County, NE compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Douglas County has 116.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $355K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Douglas County would have about 2,662, against 2,779 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Douglas County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Douglas County at 606,460 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 238,430 households. Median household income in Douglas County is $80,391, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Douglas County scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,243 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Douglas County. 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 Douglas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Douglas County?
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 Douglas County. 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.