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Compare towns

Dalton vs Bruning

292 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (6.7× in Bruning) and average commute (21 min in Bruning).

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Dalton, NEKnown for its schoolsNebraska · 435 people
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Bruning, NEA regional job hubNebraska · 259 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

DaltonKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 85%of NE districts Housing$196K typical home30% below the NE typical home All about Dalton →
BruningA regional job hub
Work563 jobsbased in Bruning, a regional job hub SchoolsBetter than 79%of NE districts Housing$179K typical home36% below the NE typical home All about Bruning →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker6.7×
Bruning is more of a job hub
Bruning 4.65Dalton 0.69
Average commute21 min
Bruning has the shorter commute
Dalton 39 minBruning 18 min
Home values+38%
Homes cost more in Bruning
Bruning $132,100Dalton $95,700
Age 65++12.1 pts
Dalton has more people 65 and up
Dalton 24.8%Bruning 12.7%
Street grid2×
Dalton has the more walkable street grid
Dalton 120Bruning 61.0
Typical home built27 yrs
Dalton’s homes are older
Bruning 1971Dalton 1944
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $170 more a month in Dalton

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Dalton$1,250/mo
Typical home $196K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.35% · or rent about $883/mo · Housing →
Bruning$1,080/mo
Typical home $179K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.93% · or rent about $860/mo · Housing →

The difference: $170 a month, about $2,000 a year, between Dalton and Bruning.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Nebraska ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
ADaltonBetter than 85% of districts in the state A−BruningBetter than 79% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
DaltonBruning
Snow a year48″23″
January low20°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)166d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)50th81st
Outdoors & history
DaltonBruning
Settled—1887
National Register places1—
Archive photos—6
Community
DaltonBruning
Library hours a week10 hrs12 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

292 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

DaltonNEBruningNE
Dalton ↔ Bruning292 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

DaltonBruning
People
Population 435Highest 259Lowest
Median age 36.9±24.8Highest about the NE average 36.2±4.4Lowest about the NE average
Dalton and Bruning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.2%±7.6Highest NE: 24.5% 22%±6.6Lowest NE: 24.5%
Dalton and Bruning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 24.8%±3.9Highest NE: 16.7% 12.7%±7.2Lowest NE: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.4%Lowest NE: 34.6% 44.5%Highest NE: 34.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.8%±3.8Lowest NE: 6.6% 6.6%±3.9Highest NE: 6.6%
Bruning and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $66,042±$26kLowest 14% below NE $73,750±$16kHighest 4% below NE
Bruning and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $95,700±$12kLowest 60% below NE $132,100±$18kHighest 45% below NE
Rentmedian gross, monthly $883±$376Highest 18% below NE $860±$150Lowest 20% below NE
Dalton and Bruning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,291Highest 64% below NE $1,231Lowest 65% below NE
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 25%±89.6Highest NE: 45.1% 16.7%±100Lowest NE: 45.1%
Dalton and Bruning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.7%Highest NE: 10.6% 3.9%Lowest NE: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 88%Lowest NE: 66.5% 91.5%Highest NE: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year 1944Lowest 31 yrs older than NE 1971Highest 4 yrs older than NE
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 39 minHighest 103% above NE 18 minLowest 7% below NE
Work from home 25.1%±22.5Highest NE: 11% 2.5%±3Lowest NE: 11%
Dalton and Bruning are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 5.2%Lowest 19%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miHighest 13.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.69Lowest 4.65Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sidney (33%)Hebron (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BruningFew work in Dalton
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 120Highest 61.0Lowest
Schools
School district LEYTON PUBLIC SCHOOLSBRUNING-DAVENPORT UNIFIED SYS
High school in town Leyton High SchoolBruning-Davenport High School
Students per teacherat that high school 7.2Highest 5.4Lowest
Nebraska average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Dalton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Dalton’s Town Square.

Bruning neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bruning’s Town Square.

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Towns like Dalton

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Johnson339 people · $108K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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