Biggest Retail Cities in Nebraska: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Nebraska has 11,183 independent retail places spread across 182 towns. Omaha leads with 2,743 — 24.5% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Nebraska by the numbers
Where the stores are
Nebraska has 11,183 independent retail places — 565.3 per 100,000 residents, 0.78× the national average of 724.8 and 50th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Omaha holds 2,743 of them (24.5% of the state total). Lincoln is second with 1,924 (17.2%). The 25 towns below account for 73.2% of Nebraska's retail; 182 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (1,978, 17.7% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (929).
Top 25 retail towns in Nebraska
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Nebraska's 11,183 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omaha | 2,743 | 24.5% |
| 2 | Lincoln | 1,924 | 17.2% |
| 3 | Grand Island | 486 | 4.3% |
| 4 | Kearney | 378 | 3.4% |
| 5 | North Platte | 250 | 2.2% |
| 6 | Norfolk | 242 | 2.2% |
| 7 | Fremont | 224 | 2.0% |
| 8 | Hastings | 203 | 1.8% |
| 9 | Columbus | 198 | 1.8% |
| 10 | Papillion | 169 | 1.5% |
| 11 | Bellevue | 167 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Scottsbluff | 149 | 1.3% |
| 13 | Gretna | 127 | 1.1% |
| 14 | Beatrice | 123 | 1.1% |
| 15 | South Sioux City | 94 | 0.8% |
| 16 | York | 92 | 0.8% |
| 17 | La Vista | 86 | 0.8% |
| 18 | Elkhorn | 75 | 0.7% |
| 19 | Nebraska City | 72 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Blair | 70 | 0.6% |
| 21 | McCook | 70 | 0.6% |
| 22 | Wayne | 63 | 0.6% |
| 23 | Lexington | 62 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Seward | 60 | 0.5% |
| 25 | Plattsmouth | 54 | 0.5% |
Counts use the city/town label on each place, so boroughs, villages and unincorporated areas appear separately from their parent city.
Most common store types in Nebraska
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Nebraska, with each one's share of the state's 11,183 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 1,978 | 17.7% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 929 | 8.3% |
| 3 | Hardware Store | 675 | 6.0% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 523 | 4.7% |
| 5 | Clothing Store | 430 | 3.8% |
| 6 | Mobile Phone Store | 344 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Print Store | 336 | 3.0% |
| 8 | Flower Store | 314 | 2.8% |
Each place is counted once under its primary retail category. Grocery, pharmacy, fuel, liquor, cannabis, automotive and mall categories are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
- Which city in Nebraska has the most retail stores?
- Omaha, with 2,743 independent retail places — 24.5% of Nebraska's 11,183 total. Lincoln is next with 1,924.
- How many independent retail stores are in Nebraska?
- 11,183 shoppable independent retail places, or 565.3 per 100,000 residents (0.78× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Nebraska 50th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Nebraska?
- The construction supplies store: 1,978 places, or 17.7% of Nebraska's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 929.
Related reports
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Mississippi: Top 25 Towns Ranked21,328 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Missouri: Top 25 Towns Ranked48,327 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Montana: Top 25 Towns Ranked10,398 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Nevada: Top 25 Towns Ranked20,234 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in New Hampshire: Top 25 Towns Ranked13,794 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in New Jersey: Top 25 Towns Ranked67,441 retail places
Data & method
- Source: Foursquare Open Source Places (U.S. slice, Apache-2.0), counted by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates (July 1, 2023).
- What counts as retail: an open place carrying a Retail category label. Grocery and other food retail, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel, liquor, cannabis, tobacco and vape, automotive, gun and hunting, adult, betting, fireworks, markets and shopping malls are excluded, so the counts describe shoppable independent storefronts rather than all commerce.
- Counting rule: each place is counted once, under its primary retail category and the city/town label on its address. Town tables include only towns with at least five places. Per-100k figures divide by state population; city populations are not used.
- Generated: September 15, 2026. Figures refresh when the source data is re-counted.
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