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Compare towns

Orchard vs Sumner

116 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+40% in Sumner) and age 65+ (+13.3 pts in Orchard).

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Orchard, NEA small town of 410Nebraska · 410 people
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Sumner, NEKnown for its schoolsNebraska · 353 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.

OrchardA small town of 410
Quiet strengthsOrchard doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Orchard →
SumnerKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 11%of NE districts All about Sumner →
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.

Property tax bill+40%
Tax bills are bigger in Sumner
Sumner $1,305Orchard $929
Age 65++13.3 pts
Orchard has more people 65 and up
Orchard 21.2%Sumner 7.9%
Average commute10 min
Orchard has the shorter commute
Sumner 27 minOrchard 17 min
Jobs per worker+95%
Sumner is more of a job hub
Sumner 1.15Orchard 0.59
Typical home built20 yrs
Sumner’s homes are older
Orchard 1958Sumner 1938
Street grid+49%
Sumner has the more walkable street grid
Sumner 122Orchard 81.6
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,070 more a month in Orchard

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.

Orchard$1,680/mo
Typical home $275K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.07% · or rent about $814/mo · Housing →
Sumner$610/mo
Typical home $96K (Census) · tax rate 1.36% · or rent about $891/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,070 a month, about $12,900 a year, between Orchard and Sumner.

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
–OrchardNot graded DSumnerBetter than 11% 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
OrchardSumner
Snow a year49″25″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)41st76th
Outdoors & history
OrchardSumner
Settled1880—
Archive photos4—
Famous people born here1—
Community
OrchardSumner
Library hours a week21 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

116 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OrchardNESumnerNE
Orchard ↔ Sumner116 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.

OrchardSumner
People
Population 410Highest 353Lowest
Median age 35±10.4Lowest 6% below NE 36.6±7.1Highest about the NE average
Sumner and Orchard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 32.9%±5.4Highest NE: 24.5% 28.3%±6.6Lowest NE: 24.5%
Orchard and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 21.2%±7.2Highest NE: 16.7% 7.9%±5.2Lowest NE: 16.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.7%Highest NE: 34.6% 18.8%Lowest NE: 34.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.9%±1.8Highest NE: 6.6% 2.3%±3.2Lowest NE: 6.6%
Orchard and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $52,813±$15kLowest 31% below NE $70,000±$46kHighest 8% below NE
Sumner and Orchard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $87,000±$14kLowest 64% below NE $95,800±$8kHighest 60% below NE
Sumner and Orchard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $814±$170Lowest 24% below NE $891±$389Highest 17% below NE
Sumner and Orchard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $929Lowest 74% below NE $1,305Highest 63% below NE
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 42.3%±24.1Highest NE: 45.1% 9.1%±34.1Lowest NE: 45.1%
Orchard and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.7%Highest NE: 10.6% 2%Lowest NE: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 71.2%Highest NE: 66.5% 64.8%Lowest NE: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year 1958Highest 17 yrs older than NE 1938Lowest 37 yrs older than NE
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minLowest 11% below NE 27 minHighest 42% above NE
Work from home 2.4%±2.3Highest NE: 11% 2%±2.8Lowest NE: 11%
Orchard and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.9%Highest 0.9%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.8 miHighest 17.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.59Lowest 1.15Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Neligh (16%)Kearney (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in SumnerFew work in Orchard
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.3 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 81.6Lowest 122Highest
Schools
School district —SUMNER-EDDYVILLE-MILLER SCHS
High school in town —Junior-Senior High at Sumner
Students per teacherat that high school — 9.7
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.

Orchard neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Orchard’s Town Square.

Sumner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sumner’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Towns like Orchard

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Ansley563 people · $90K homes
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Culbertson634 people · $91K homes
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Winside485 people · $104K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Nebraska towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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