Food and drink · Small-town market · Nebraska
Restaurants and cafes in the Lexington, NE area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Lexington, NE area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #324 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 115
- 53 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- −2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $37.1M
- On food away from home · $3,712 a household
- Spending per listing
- $322K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.2
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,255
- +1.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Lexington 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 Lexington 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Lexington area comes to about $37.1M a year: $3,712 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 115 restaurants and cafes, that is $322K per restaurant, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Lexington area has 115 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 115.2 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 46 businesses with payroll in the Lexington area classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 217 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Lexington area grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Lexington area has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #324 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska.
How the Lexington 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 | Lexington area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.2 | 105.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $322K | $374K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 217 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.2% | +6.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,712 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,652 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46−2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 485
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11553 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 100The 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 restaurants and other eating places in the Lexington 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 Lexington area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,255+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 9,981
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,472 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $70,652+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,728
- Median home value
- $169,200
- Jobs located here
- 12,857
- Daytime population
- 25,770Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington 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 Lexington area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 Lexington, NE area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 115 restaurants and cafes in the Lexington area. 53 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lexington, NE area spend on food away from home?
About $37.1M a year, or $3,712 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 115 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $322K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,981 households in the Lexington area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lexington, NE area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Lexington area has 115.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $322K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Lexington area would have about 100, against 115 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 217 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lexington, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Lexington area at 26,255 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,981 households. Median household income in the Lexington area is $70,652, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. 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 Lexington area scores 45 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #324 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 Lexington 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 Lexington area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lexington 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 Lexington 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.