Food and drink · County · Nebraska
Sit-down restaurants in Custer County, NE
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Custer County, NE, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,341 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska
- Listings
- 18
- 6 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.1M
- On food away from home · $3,577 a household
- Spending per listing
- $895K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.0
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,500
- 0.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Custer County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Custer 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 sit-down restaurants in Custer County. 6 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.0, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,577 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Custer County spend about $16.1M a year on food away from home. Spread across 18 sit-down restaurants, that is $895K per restaurant, 35% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in Custer County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 346 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Custer County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Custer County is 46 (lower middle), #1,341 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 26 scored counties in Nebraska.
How Custer 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 sit-down restaurants 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 | Custer County | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.0 | 51.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $895K | $762K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 346 | 555 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,577 | $3,946 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,906 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 117
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 186 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The 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 full-service restaurants in Custer 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 Custer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,5000.0% since 2020
- Households
- 4,502
- Median age
- 43.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 2,576 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4
- Median household income
- $67,906+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,495
- Median home value
- $157,800
- Jobs located here
- 4,714
- Daytime population
- 9,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Custer 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Custer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Nebraska for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with Custer County marked.
Top counties in Nebraska
| 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 |
| 16Custer County, NE | 46 | 18 | 40.0 | $895K | 0.0% | #1,341 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Custer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 sit-down restaurants are in Custer County, NE?
There are 18 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Custer County as of September 2026. 6 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Custer County, NE spend on food away from home?
About $16.1M a year, or $3,577 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $895K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,502 households in Custer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Custer County, NE compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Custer County has 40.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $895K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Custer County would have about 24, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 346 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Custer County, NE growing?
Population estimates put Custer County at 10,500 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,502 households. The median household income in Custer County is $67,906 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. Custer County scores 46 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,341 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Custer County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Custer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Custer 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 Custer 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.