Market rankings · Nebraska
Sit-down restaurants in Nebraska
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Nebraska, ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 4,133
- 1,564 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 1,438
- +0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.1B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.8
- 15% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $762K
- 15% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #9 of 51
- Market score 66 · Upper middle
A site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 4,133 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Nebraska as of September 2026. 1,564 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 51.8, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
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 is about $762K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,438 businesses with payroll in Nebraska classed as full-service restaurants, up 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 555 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 60 SBA-backed loans worth $28.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Nebraska.
Among the 50 states and DC, Nebraska ranks #9 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle). Of the 4 scored metro areas in or partly in Nebraska, the Lincoln metro area scores highest (74). Of the 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in Nebraska, the Columbus area scores highest (74).
Every market in Nebraska for sit-down restaurants
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln, NE | 74 | 674 | 47.8 | $812K | +3.3% | #30 of 387 |
| 2Omaha, NE-IA | 73 | 2,003 | 51.4 | $819K | +4.2% | #33 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 43 | 312 | 56.2 | $678K | +1.0% | #244 of 387 |
| 3Grand Island, NE | 35 | 187 | 61.7 | $592K | +1.5% | #313 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, NE | 74 | 90 | 51.8 | $727K | +3.8% | #53 of 538 |
| 2Beatrice, NE | 64 | 48 | 51.5 | $697K | +0.2% | #127 of 538 |
| 3Norfolk, NE | 63 | 98 | 50.0 | $726K | +1.1% | #137 of 538 |
| 4Hastings, NE | 61 | 77 | 45.1 | $817K | −0.2% | #153 of 538 |
| 5Fremont, NE | 61 | 73 | 48.1 | $772K | +2.6% | #157 of 538 |
| 6Kearney, NE | 60 | 124 | 54.4 | $708K | +1.9% | #167 of 538 |
| 7Lexington, NE | 52 | 53 | 53.1 | $699K | +1.1% | #247 of 538 |
| 8North Platte, NE | 48 | 81 | 53.3 | $661K | −3.6% | #293 of 538 |
| 9Scottsbluff, NE | 31 | 88 | 57.2 | $607K | −1.2% | #459 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sarpy County, NE | 89 | 285 | 38.5 | $1.2M | +9.0% | #31 of 2,405 |
| 2Cass County, NE | 81 | 42 | 38.8 | $1.1M | +3.9% | #108 of 2,405 |
| 3Seward County, NE | 75 | 28 | 41.2 | $971K | +2.3% | #245 of 2,405 |
| 4Washington County, NE | 72 | 31 | 36.8 | $1.2M | +1.8% | #311 of 2,405 |
| 5Saunders County, NE | 67 | 40 | 44.9 | $955K | +6.0% | #457 of 2,405 |
| 6Lancaster County, NE | 66 | 646 | 48.2 | $806K | +3.4% | #499 of 2,405 |
| 7Platte County, NE | 66 | 70 | 51.3 | $726K | +3.9% | #505 of 2,405 |
| 8Otoe County, NE | 65 | 39 | 61.1 | $648K | +3.9% | #545 of 2,405 |
| 9Douglas County, NE | 54 | 1,388 | 58.2 | $711K | +3.6% | #1,001 of 2,405 |
| 10Gage County, NE | 54 | 48 | 51.5 | $697K | +0.2% | #1,005 of 2,405 |
| 11Box Butte County, NE | 53 | 19 | 42.2 | $804K | −3.0% | #1,032 of 2,405 |
| 12Adams County, NE | 52 | 58 | 44.4 | $832K | −0.3% | #1,075 of 2,405 |
| 13Dodge County, NE | 52 | 73 | 48.1 | $772K | +2.6% | #1,084 of 2,405 |
| 14Colfax County, NE | 50 | 20 | 54.0 | $728K | +3.6% | #1,169 of 2,405 |
| 15York County, NE | 47 | 31 | 54.3 | $699K | +3.3% | #1,315 of 2,405 |
| 16Custer County, NE | 46 | 18 | 40.0 | $895K | 0.0% | #1,341 of 2,405 |
| 17Buffalo County, NE | 46 | 115 | 57.5 | $667K | +1.9% | #1,370 of 2,405 |
| 18Saline County, NE | 45 | 29 | 56.4 | $681K | +1.9% | #1,424 of 2,405 |
| 19Madison County, NE | 45 | 79 | 54.6 | $655K | +1.6% | #1,429 of 2,405 |
| 20Dawson County, NE | 40 | 52 | 56.9 | $652K | +1.5% | #1,638 of 2,405 |
| 21Lincoln County, NE | 39 | 81 | 54.4 | $648K | −3.6% | #1,685 of 2,405 |
| 22Hall County, NE | 37 | 164 | 66.7 | $547K | +1.4% | #1,781 of 2,405 |
| 23Dakota County, NE | 35 | 45 | 60.3 | $608K | +0.7% | #1,839 of 2,405 |
| 24Holt County, NE | 33 | 21 | 51.9 | $687K | −0.3% | #1,912 of 2,405 |
| 25Red Willow County, NE | 32 | 22 | 48.8 | $727K | −3.5% | #1,950 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 | 26 | 87 | 57.7 | $600K | −1.3% | #2,172 of 2,405 |
| Wayne County, NE | Not scored | 15 | 40.0 | $888K | +3.3% | |
| Cheyenne County, NE | Not scored | 25 | 56.0 | $596K | +0.4% | |
| Hamilton County, NE | Not scored | 17 | 46.9 | $856K | +2.9% | |
| Phelps County, NE | Not scored | 19 | 48.5 | $770K | +0.2% | |
| Cuming County, NE | Not scored | 20 | 52.5 | $712K | −2.1% | |
| Butler County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 39.7 | $980K | +1.8% | |
| Knox County, NE | Not scored | 17 | 49.7 | $693K | −0.5% | |
| Cedar County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 40.7 | $927K | 0.0% | |
| Keith County, NE | Not scored | 33 | 81.5 | $423K | −2.7% | |
| Dawes County, NE | Not scored | 22 | 63.7 | $528K | −3.7% | |
| Richardson County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 39.4 | $887K | −4.2% | |
| Merrick County, NE | Not scored | 12 | 37.4 | $942K | +3.3% | |
| Pierce County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 49.3 | $743K | +0.5% | |
| Jefferson County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 28.7 | $1.2M | −2.6% | |
| Nemaha County, NE | Not scored | 13 | 45.7 | $764K | +0.2% | |
| Burt County, NE | Not scored | 18 | 61.5 | $570K | −0.6% | |
| Kearney County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 32.0 | $1.2M | +1.5% | |
| Thurston County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 45.2 | $789K | −0.1% | |
| Howard County, NE | Not scored | 11 | 43.9 | $881K | +0.8% | |
| Antelope County, NE | Not scored | 15 | 56.9 | $615K | +1.0% | |
| Clay County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 40.2 | $946K | +1.1% | |
| Stanton County, NE | Not scored | 5 | 21.6 | $1.8M | −1.4% | |
| Dixon County, NE | Not scored | 18 | 82.3 | $450K | +0.4% | |
| Fillmore County, NE | Not scored | 12 | 50.9 | $748K | −2.0% | |
| Cherry County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 62.7 | $557K | +1.9% | |
| Boone County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 31.9 | $1.2M | −0.1% | |
| Johnson County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 41.0 | $837K | −1.4% | |
| Polk County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 47.3 | $794K | +1.1% | |
| Sheridan County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 47.4 | $733K | −5.7% | |
| Thayer County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 67.1 | $534K | −3.6% | |
| Furnas County, NE | Not scored | 14 | 69.7 | $479K | −2.2% | |
| Morrill County, NE | Not scored | 12 | 62.6 | $524K | −3.3% | |
| Nuckolls County, NE | Not scored | 11 | 57.3 | $649K | +0.2% | |
| Valley County, NE | Not scored | 6 | 33.4 | $1.1M | +0.9% | |
| Chase County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 47.4 | $751K | −4.4% | |
| Webster County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 60.3 | $578K | −1.6% | |
| Nance County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 22.4 | $1.6M | −3.0% | |
| Kimball County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 47.0 | $677K | −0.5% | |
| Sherman County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 7.5 | $4.5M | −1.2% | |
| Brown County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 54.9 | $600K | −2.6% | |
| Harlan County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 83.5 | $466K | −1.9% | |
| Franklin County, NE | Not scored | 9 | 69.6 | $502K | −3.1% | |
| Perkins County, NE | Not scored | 10 | 83.9 | $440K | −0.3% | |
| Frontier County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 65.2 | $535K | +6.0% | |
| Hitchcock County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 9.0 | $3.5M | −5.9% | |
| Pawnee County, NE | Not scored | 8 | 73.4 | $451K | −1.0% | |
| Greeley County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 20.9 | $1.6M | −1.3% | |
| Gosper County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 12.0 | $3.2M | −4.8% | |
| Deuel County, NE | Not scored | 6 | 71.7 | $492K | +1.6% | |
| Garden County, NE | Not scored | 7 | 81.6 | $343K | −4.5% | |
| Dundy County, NE | Not scored | 4 | 51.3 | $653K | −5.2% | |
| Garfield County, NE | Not scored | 8 | 114.1 | $300K | −5.4% | |
| Boyd County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 26.9 | $1.3M | −7.5% | |
| Rock County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 16.7 | $2.1M | −0.7% | |
| Sioux County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 20.4 | $1.7M | +3.7% | |
| Wheeler County, NE | Not scored | 5 | 139.3 | $261K | +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 | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −6.0% | |
| Banner County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 32.8 | $1.2M | +1.0% | |
| Hooker County, NE | Not scored | 3 | 91.7 | $336K | −2.8% | |
| Grant County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 35.2 | $972K | −8.3% | |
| Loup County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 41.0 | $856K | −6.1% | |
| Thomas County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 32.9 | $987K | −4.8% | |
| Arthur County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 54.1 | $739K | −7.9% | |
| McPherson County, NE | Not scored | 1 | 47.2 | $709K | −6.8% | |
| Blaine County, NE | Not scored | 2 | 101.5 | $329K | +6.8% |
Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in Nebraska?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,133 sit-down restaurants in Nebraska. 1,564 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,438 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.6% from 2019. Another 198 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
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 4,133 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $762K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. 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 sit-down restaurants?
Nebraska has 51.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $762K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Nebraska would have about 4,744, against 4,133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 555 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
Which market in Nebraska has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?
Among 4 scored metro areas in or partly in Nebraska, the Lincoln metro area scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Among 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in Nebraska, the Columbus area scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Among 26 scored counties in Nebraska, Sarpy County scores highest, at 89 (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 66 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #9 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 sit-down restaurants 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.
Sit-down restaurants in other states
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Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in Nebraska
Related business types in Nebraska
- Restaurants and cafes8,419 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.