Chalco makes Nebraska’s top 10 on 4 lists
Chalco is ranked on 32 lists against the 61 Nebraska towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 4 and the top quarter on 8.
The lists Chalco does best on
Each list ranks every NE town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Chalco marked.
3 spots from the top 3 for walkable streets
Lists where Chalco sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Chalco lands in the top half on 11 of 19 lists
Each dot is Chalco’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NE, the right end is last. Areas where Chalco does best come first.
More snow than 93% of Nebraska
Not better or worse, just Chalco’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Chalco out-ranks 1 of its 2 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Chalco lands in every NE ranking
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
#7
Lowest obesity#1 Seward · 33%
#14
Fewest smokers#1 Gretna · 10%
#7
Most active#1 Hickman · 15%
#7
Fewest uninsured#1 Gretna · 6%
#13
Lowest depression#1 Schuyler · 14%
#42
Closest to a top hospital#1 Omaha · 0.0 mi
#18 People
Most educated#1 Valley · 51.2%
#13
Youngest#1 Wayne · 23.2
#16
T
Oldest#1 Township 1 · 52.1
#46
Most residents 65+#1 Cozad · 25.8%
#56
Most kids#1 Offutt AFB · 35.6%
#51 Outdoors
T Most conserved land#1 Township 2 · 16.8% #40
Most trails#1 Chadron · 5.4 mi / sq mi
#19
Most walkable#1 St. Paul · 160 / sq mi
#6 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Broken Bow · 8.8 min
#42 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Falls City · 1.2 yrs
#44
Cheapest rent#1 Dakota City · $635/mo
#53
Lowest property tax#1 Valentine · $1,398/yr
#49
Rent easiest to afford#1 Lexington · 27.2%
Climate
Snowiest#1 Chadron · 50 in
#5
Least snow#1 Beatrice · 19 in
#53
Mildest winters#1 Ogallala · 16.0°
#27
Hottest summers#1 McCook · 91.6°
#46
Coolest summers#1 Wayne · 84.9°
#19
Longest growing season#1 Valley · 187 days
#10
Wettest#1 Falls City · 34 in
#12 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Valentine · 5.9%
#33
Most new homes#1 Gretna · 38.7 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Central City · +65.7%
#36
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Bellevue · 6.5 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 St. Paul · 20.5 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Central City · 26.0 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Central City · 39.6 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Valley · 4.0
The number on the right is Chalco’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.