Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County, NE
How Lincoln County, NE compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,062 of 2,405 scored counties
#24 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 159
- 77 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 64
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $52.5M
- On food away from home · $3,523 a household
- Spending per listing
- $330K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 106.8
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,303
- −3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
For restaurants and cafes, Lincoln County has a Groundwork market score of 29 (lower middle): #2,062 of 2,405 scored counties and #24 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 159 restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County. Of those, 77 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 106.8, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,523 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Lincoln County spend about $52.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 159 restaurants and cafes, that is $330K per restaurant, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 64 businesses with payroll in Lincoln County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln County. Population estimates put the population change in Lincoln County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Lincoln 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 | Lincoln County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 106.8 | 105.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $330K | $374K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 233 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | +6.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,523 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,148 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 63 → 64+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,187
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15977 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 142The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,303−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,890
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 2,564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13
- Median household income
- $65,148+9.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,130
- Median home value
- $189,500
- Jobs located here
- 14,473
- Daytime population
- 33,764Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 |
| 24Lincoln County, NE | 29 | 159 | 106.8 | $330K | −3.6% | #2,062 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lincoln County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza25
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 Lincoln County, NE?
There are 159 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. 77 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lincoln County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $52.5M a year, or $3,523 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 159 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $330K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,890 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lincoln County, NE compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lincoln County has 106.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $330K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 142, against 159 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lincoln County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Lincoln County at 33,303 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,890 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $65,148 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 9.0% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Lincoln County scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,062 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.