Editor’s Note: This is not investment advice, and we are not financial advisers.
Suppose real estate is the most significant investment a majority of people make in their lifetime. In that case, it’s best to understand the places in Nebraska with best potential return on investment.
After working in real estate adjacent roles for over a decade, I had the hypothesis that the best place to buy for a return on investment would be up-and-coming cities. Smaller cities where crime might be high now, but people still move to.
To test my hypothesis, we are going to look at places in Nebraska that are growing faster than average, but where home prices are below average, and crime rates are higher than average.
In everyday terms, these might be “deals”. The best deal in Nebraska at the moment according to Saturday Night Science? That would be Gretna.
0.8% population growth · 0.7% home price growth
Gretna is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,441 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.8% population growth · 4.6% home price growth
Located in
Phelps County, Nebraska
Holdrege is a city in Phelps County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,495 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Nebraska Prairie Museum is located in Holdrege.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
-0.9% population growth · -0.1% home price growth
Located in
Dawes County, Nebraska
Chadron is a city in Dawes County, in the state of Nebraska in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dawes County, and the location of Chadron State College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.1% population growth · -0.3% home price growth
Located in
Wayne County, Nebraska
Wayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 5,660 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County and the home of Wayne State College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.9% population growth · 2.9% home price growth
Located in
Colfax County, Nebraska
Schuyler is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city is named after former Vice President of the United States, Schuyler Colfax.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.4% population growth · 2.6% home price growth
Located in
Cheyenne County, Nebraska
Sidney is a city and county seat of Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,757 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.8% population growth · 1.1% home price growth
Located in
Cass County, Nebraska
Plattsmouth is a city and county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,502 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.1% population growth · -2.6% home price growth
Located in
Saline County, Nebraska
Crete is a city in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,960 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.2% population growth · 2.1% home price growth
Located in
Seward County, Nebraska
Seward is a city and county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,964 at the 2010 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is known for its large Fourth of July celebration.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1.1% population growth · 3.3% home price growth
Nebraska City is a city in, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
Nebraska statewide median: $276,500
On the map
Where Nebraska’s best buys are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine the best places to buy a home in Nebraska for 2026?
We were in real estate for almost five years and have worked on this site for over a decade. Suffice it to say we’ve put a lot of thought into finding an excellent place to buy a home.
So all that thinking has come to this moment where we get to spell out how we’d approach finding an up-and-coming place to live in Nebraska. Put differently, the analysis will try to find places in Nebraska with undervalued homes relative to pent-up demand using Saturday Night Science.
To do that, we looked at the most recent American Community Survey Census data for 2020-2024 and compared it to the previous vintage. Specifically, we used the following criteria:
- Y-o-Y Change In Population (People want to live here)
- Y-o-Y Change In Median Home Prices (People are willing to pay for it)
- Home Prices Relative To The State Average (It’s still kinda cheap)
We want places that are growing, have seen home prices increase in recent years, and are still “cheap” for Nebraska, with these caveats: home prices had to be within 20% of the state average, home prices increased in the last year, and the city had above 5,000 people.
So of the 573 cities and towns in Nebraska, only 32 places made it through our initial filters to even be considered.
We then ranked each place from 1 to 32 for the above criteria, with 1 being the best. We averaged the rankings to create a “best place to buy” index, with the place having the lowest index being the best.
Turns out that Gretna is the best potential gem in the not-so-rough in the Cornhusker State. The median Nebraska home is 50 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Best Places To Buy A Home In Nebraska
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Home Price | Population Change | Home Price Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gretna | 9,193 | $425,558 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| 2 | Holdrege | 5,546 | $194,781 | 0.8% | 4.6% |
| 3 | Chadron | 5,160 | $193,554 | -0.9% | -0.1% |
| 4 | Wayne | 6,121 | $234,128 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 5 | Schuyler | 6,578 | $230,809 | 0.9% | 2.9% |
| 6 | Sidney | 6,419 | $168,006 | 0.4% | 2.6% |
| 7 | Plattsmouth | 6,731 | $306,416 | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| 8 | Crete | 7,527 | $238,976 | 0.1% | -2.6% |
| 9 | Seward | 7,678 | $307,288 | 0.2% | 2.1% |
| 10 | Nebraska City | 7,369 | $201,348 | 1.1% | 3.3% |
| 11 | Ralston | 6,472 | $264,642 | 0.4% | 3.6% |
| 12 | McCook | 7,314 | $177,179 | -0.6% | 0.3% |
| 13 | York | 8,141 | $219,748 | 0.3% | -0.6% |
| 14 | Blair | 7,914 | $351,845 | 0.6% | 1.5% |
| 15 | Alliance | 8,075 | $173,241 | -0.2% | -0.9% |
| 16 | Gering | 8,550 | $209,551 | -0.2% | 0.8% |
| 17 | Lexington | 10,862 | $205,386 | 1.6% | 0.5% |
| 18 | Beatrice | 12,225 | $182,539 | -0.1% | -0.9% |
| 19 | South Sioux City | 13,907 | $228,788 | 0.3% | 2.5% |
| 20 | Scottsbluff | 14,376 | $179,641 | -0.2% | -0.9% |
| 21 | La Vista | 16,563 | $307,597 | -0.2% | 0.3% |
| 22 | Columbus | 24,488 | $269,084 | 1.2% | 0.0% |
| 23 | North Platte | 22,831 | $208,704 | -0.9% | 0.9% |
| 24 | Papillion | 25,244 | $409,004 | 4.9% | 1.3% |
| 25 | Norfolk | 26,054 | $256,017 | 0.4% | 0.1% |
| 26 | Hastings | 25,008 | $200,241 | 0.0% | -0.4% |
| 27 | Fremont | 27,567 | $253,066 | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| 28 | Kearney | 34,246 | $309,678 | 0.7% | -0.3% |
| 29 | Grand Island | 52,884 | $252,575 | 0.2% | -1.6% |
| 30 | Bellevue | 64,510 | $297,049 | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| 31 | Lincoln | 294,856 | $291,062 | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| 32 | Omaha | 488,837 | $294,189 | 0.1% | 2.5% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 32 Nebraska cities cleared the filters.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Purchase A House In Nebraska for 2026
There’s our analysis of the best places to buy a house in Nebraska. And, to be clear, we aren’t necessarily saying these places are the best places to live, just that it looks like they might be in a couple of years based on the data.
In fact, every place in the following table meets our criteria, so even though it may not look super long, remember we started off with all 573 places in the state.
The best cities to buy a house in Nebraska are Gretna, Holdrege, Chadron, Wayne, Schuyler, Sidney, Plattsmouth, Crete, Seward, and Nebraska City.
So if we could rent or buy in these cities, we’d definitely buy. Not sold on Nebraska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places To Buy A House In Nebraska FAQs
What is the best city in Nebraska to buy a house?
Gretna is the best place to buy a house in Nebraska for 2026. Its population is growing, home values are rising, and the median home still costs $425,558. Holdrege and Chadron are next on the list.
What are the best cities to buy a home in Nebraska?
The best cities to buy a house in Nebraska are Gretna, Holdrege, Chadron, Wayne, Schuyler, Sidney, Plattsmouth, Crete, Seward, and Nebraska City. Only 32 of the 573 places in Nebraska cleared our filters on growth and home prices.
How much does a house cost in Gretna?
The median home value in Gretna is $425,558, versus $276,500 across Nebraska. Across the full top ten, the median home runs $232,468.
How do you pick the best places to buy a home in Nebraska?
We look for Nebraska places where the population is growing, home prices are climbing, and homes are still cheap relative to the state average, using Census American Community Survey data. Cities that hit all three get the highest Buy Index scores.
Is this a guarantee home values will go up?
No. This is not investment advice — just where the data points to potential value. The Buy Index says these markets look healthier than most of Nebraska, not that any single house is a good deal.
