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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Nebraska a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes... if you know where to locate the best places to live in Nebraska.
Lucky for you, we're here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Cornhusker State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn't our first rodeo -- we've been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Nebraska, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 93 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Cornhusker State for 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Nebraska For 2021
Banner County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Nebraska. And you might want to avoid Thurston County if you can -- at least according to the data.
So if you're thinking of making the move Nebraska, we've got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Nebraska and the cheapest places to live in Nebraska.
The Best Counties To Live In Nebraska For 2021
1. Banner County
Biggest Place: Harrisburg
Population: 722
Median Income: $51,750 (58th best)
Median Home Price: $139,900.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 50.1% (10th best)
More on Banner County: Data
2. Seward County
Biggest Place: Seward
Population: 17,171
Median Income: $70,389 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $168,200.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 194.4% (38th best)
More on Seward County: Photos | Data
3. Saunders County
Biggest Place: Wahoo
Population: 21,165
Median Income: $68,682 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $165,600.0 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 228.1% (45th best)
More on Saunders County: Photos | Data
4. Washington County
Biggest Place: Blair
Population: 20,361
Median Income: $71,430 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $196,100.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 260.5% (54th best)
More on Washington County: Photos | Data
5. Sarpy County
Biggest Place: Bellevue
Population: 181,232
Median Income: $82,032 (best)
Median Home Price: $195,300.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 293.1% (6best)
More on Sarpy County: Photos | Data
6. Hamilton County
Biggest Place: Aurora
Population: 9,215
Median Income: $64,210 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $154,300.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 296.5% (63rd best)
More on Hamilton County: Photos | Data
7. Pierce County
Biggest Place: Pierce
Population: 7,144
Median Income: $64,511 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $132,700.0 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 216.3% (42nd best)
More on Pierce County: Photos | Data
8. Stanton County
Biggest Place: Stanton
Population: 5,957
Median Income: $63,986 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $119,500.0 (32nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 173.5% (32nd best)
More on Stanton County: Data
9. Thomas County
Biggest Place: Thedford
Population: 645
Median Income: $59,432 (2best)
Median Home Price: $119,300.0 (33rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 108.4% (19th best)
More on Thomas County: Data
10. Phelps County
Biggest Place: Holdrege
Population: 9,100
Median Income: $59,040 (26th best)
Median Home Price: $134,000.0 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 71.2% (13th best)
More on Phelps County: Photos | Data
How do you determine which Nebraska county is the best?
To give you the best county in Nebraska, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what's a "best county" and what isn't. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you'd make at a bar using facts, don't take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in Nebraska across each of the criteria from one to 93, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the "Best County To Live In Nebraska".
The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Cornhusker State.
Read on to see why Banner County is the best county, while Thurston County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Nebraska.
There You Have It - The Best Counties In Nebraska To Call Home For 2018
It turns out living in Nebraska can vary from one part of the state to the next -- who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that's why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here's a look at the worst counties in Nebraska according to the data:
- Thurston County
- Pawnee County
- Sheridan County
For more Nebraska reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In Nebraska
- Richest Cities In Nebraska
- Cheapest Places To Live In Nebraska
- Best Counties To Live In Nebraska