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Compare towns

Murdock vs Wallace

255 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (8.1× in Wallace) and home values (+65% in Murdock).

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Murdock, NEKnown for its schoolsNebraska · 228 people
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Wallace, NEHomes around $133KNebraska · 266 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.

MurdockKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 98%of NE districts All about Murdock →
WallaceHomes around $133K
Housing$133K typical home53% below the NE typical home All about Wallace →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

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

Jobs per worker8.1×
Wallace is more of a job hub
Wallace 0.73Murdock 0.09
Home values+65%
Homes cost more in Murdock
Murdock $178,100Wallace $107,900
Street grid3×
Murdock has the more walkable street grid
Murdock 216Wallace 72.2
Average commute10 min
Wallace has the shorter commute
Murdock 26 minWallace 16 min
Property tax bill+19%
Tax bills are bigger in Murdock
Murdock $2,548Wallace $2,136
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,180 more a month in Murdock

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.

Murdock$2,090/mo
Typical home $325K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.43% · or rent about $1,000/mo · Housing →
Wallace$920/mo
Typical home $133K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.98% · or rent about $732/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,180 a month, about $14,100 a year, between Murdock and Wallace.

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
A+MurdockBetter than 98% of districts in the state C+WallaceBetter than 39% 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
MurdockWallace
Snow a year22″22″
January low13°F13°F
July high87°F89°F
Growing season (days)175d152d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)70th47th
Outdoors & history
MurdockWallace
National Register places—1
Archive photos67
Famous people born here2—
Community
MurdockWallace
Library hours a week—12 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

255 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MurdockNEWallaceNE
Murdock ↔ Wallace255 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.

MurdockWallace
People
Population 228Lowest 266Highest
Median age 56±19.3Lowest 51% above NE 56.6±15.6Highest 52% above NE
Wallace and Murdock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 12.7%±7.1Lowest NE: 24.5% 16.5%±6.6Highest NE: 24.5%
Wallace and Murdock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 44.7%±7Highest NE: 16.7% 37.6%±13.1Lowest NE: 16.7%
Murdock and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.5%Lowest NE: 34.6% 32.4%Highest NE: 34.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.4%±5.2Highest NE: 6.6% 0.8%±3.9Lowest NE: 6.6%
Murdock and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $59,167±$13kLowest 23% below NE $63,125±$13kHighest 17% below NE
Wallace and Murdock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $178,100±$24kHighest 25% below NE $107,900±$14kLowest 55% below NE
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,000±$225Highest 7% below NE $732±$73Lowest 32% below NE
Murdock and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,548Highest 28% below NE $2,136Lowest 40% below NE
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50%±61.6Highest NE: 45.1% 35.3%±89Lowest NE: 45.1%
Murdock and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.8%Highest NE: 10.6% 3%Lowest NE: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.9%Lowest NE: 66.5% 82.2%Highest NE: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year 1953Highest 22 yrs older than NE 1951Lowest 24 yrs older than NE
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 34% above NE 16 minLowest 19% below NE
Work from home 6.6%±6.3Highest NE: 11% 5.8%±4.5Lowest NE: 11%
Murdock and Wallace are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 2.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 23.3 miLowest 28.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.09Lowest 0.73Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Omaha (32%)North Platte (45%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WallaceFew work in Murdock
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 216Highest 72.2Lowest
Schools
School district ELMWOOD-MURDOCK PUBLIC SCHOOLSWALLACE PUBLIC SCH DIST 65 R
High school in town Elmwood-Murdock Jr./Sr. High SCHWallace High School
Students per teacherat that high school 10.0Highest 6.4Lowest
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.

Murdock neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Murdock’s Town Square.

Wallace neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Wallace’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Murdock

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Fairfield327 people · $161K 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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