Aurora makes Nebraska’s top 10 on 5 lists
Aurora is ranked on 37 lists against the 61 Nebraska towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 5 and the top quarter on 6.
The lists Aurora does best on
Each list ranks every NE town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Aurora marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for low depression
Lists where Aurora sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Aurora lands in the top half on 17 of 24 lists
Each dot is Aurora’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NE, the right end is last. Areas where Aurora does best come first.
Milder winters than 85% of Nebraska
Not better or worse, just Aurora’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Every NE list, and where Aurora lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Hickman · 95 / 100
#18
Lowest obesity#1 Seward · 33%
#31
Fewest smokers#1 Gretna · 10%
#7
Most active#1 Hickman · 15%
#16
Fewest uninsured#1 Gretna · 6%
#6
Lowest depression#1 Schuyler · 14%
#11
Closest to a top hospital#1 Omaha · 0.0 mi
#32 Safety
Safest#1 Valley · 4.0
#7 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Falls City · 1.2 yrs
#41
Cheapest rent#1 Dakota City · $635/mo
#10
Lowest property tax#1 Valentine · $1,398/yr
#18
Rent easiest to afford#1 Lexington · 27.2%
People
Most educated#1 Valley · 51.2%
#20
Youngest#1 Wayne · 23.2
#39
T
Oldest#1 Township 1 · 52.1
#23
Most residents 65+#1 Cozad · 25.8%
#18
Most kids#1 Offutt AFB · 35.6%
#17 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Valentine · 5.9%
#47
Most new homes#1 Gretna · 38.7 per 1,000
#25
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Central City · +65.7%
#18
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Bellevue · 6.5 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 St. Paul · 20.5 per resident
#40
Most library borrowing#1 Central City · 26.0 per resident
#22
Best libraries for kids#1 Central City · 39.6 per child
#19 Outdoors
T Most conserved land#1 Township 2 · 16.8% #39
Most trails#1 Chadron · 5.4 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 St. Paul · 160 / sq mi
#29 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Broken Bow · 8.8 min
#44 
The number on the right is Aurora’s spot. All of Nebraska’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NE list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.