Valley is #1 in Nebraska for college degrees
Valley is ranked on 35 lists against the 61 Nebraska towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 11 and the top quarter on 11.
Valley is on Nebraska’s podium 6 times
Each list ranks every NE town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Valley marked.
Longer growing season than 100% of Nebraska
Not better or worse, just Valley’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for fewest smokers
Lists where Valley sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Valley lands in the top half on 13 of 21 lists
Each dot is Valley’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NE, the right end is last. Areas where Valley does best come first.
Every NE list, and where Valley lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
People
Most educated#1 Valley · 51.2%
#1
Youngest#1 Wayne · 23.2
#60
T
Oldest#1 Township 1 · 52.1
#2
Most residents 65+#1 Cozad · 25.8%
#11
Most kids#1 Offutt AFB · 35.6%
#59 Safety
Safest#1 Valley · 4.0
#1 Health
Healthiest#1 Hickman · 95 / 100
#5
Lowest obesity#1 Seward · 33%
#6
Fewest smokers#1 Gretna · 10%
#4
Most active#1 Hickman · 15%
#3
Fewest uninsured#1 Gretna · 6%
#1
Lowest depression#1 Schuyler · 14%
#42
Closest to a top hospital#1 Omaha · 0.0 mi
#22 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Valentine · 5.9%
#3
Most new homes#1 Gretna · 38.7 per 1,000
#4
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Central City · +65.7%
#2
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Bellevue · 6.5 per home
#2 Outdoors
T Most conserved land#1 Township 2 · 16.8%
Most trails#1 Chadron · 5.4 mi / sq mi
#20
Most walkable#1 St. Paul · 160 / sq mi
#56 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Falls City · 1.2 yrs
#60
Cheapest rent#1 Dakota City · $635/mo
#39
Lowest property tax#1 Valentine · $1,398/yr
#60
Rent easiest to afford#1 Lexington · 27.2%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Broken Bow · 8.8 min
#61 
The number on the right is Valley’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.