The 10 Best Small Towns In Nebraska For 2026


The best small towns in Nebraska are Waverly and Hickman for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

By: Chris Kolmar | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: April 18, 2026

You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Nebraska. Best sururbs in Nebraska. Best counties in Nebraska.

Etc., etc., etc.

But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Cornhusker State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.

Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Nebraska based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.

We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Nebraska ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In Nebraska For 2026

  1. Waverly
  2. Hickman
  3. Ceresco
  4. Arlington
  5. Hartington
  6. Milford
  7. Ashland
  8. Bennington
  9. Eagle
  10. Bennet
  11. Albion
  12. Pierce
  13. Henderson
  14. Fort Calhoun
  15. Valley

Best Small Towns To Live In Nebraska Map

What’s the best small town in Nebraska? Waverly is the best small town in Nebraska based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Waverly, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.

For more reading on the Cornhusker State check out:

The 15 Best Small Towns In Nebraska For 2026

1. Waverly

Waverly, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 4,440
Median Income: $111,632 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $347,206 (12th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

2. Hickman

Hickman, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,004
Median Income: $104,375 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $381,940 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.7%

3. Ceresco

Ceresco, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,225
Median Income: $96,944 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $340,542 (13th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%

4. Arlington

Arlington, NE

Source: Wikipedia User John Phelan | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,467
Median Income: $94,034 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $359,873 (10th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%

5. Hartington

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,621
Median Income: $80,577 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $268,710 (22nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%

6. Milford

Milford, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,565
Median Income: $82,699 (20th Best)
Median Home Value: $308,176 (15th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.3%

7. Ashland

Ashland, NE

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,071
Median Income: $89,408 (15th Best)
Median Home Value: $389,841 (6th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%

8. Bennington

Bennington, NE

Source: Flickr User cpoke | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 2,366
Median Income: $97,500 (7th Best)
Median Home Value: $410,275 (4th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%

9. Eagle

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,259
Median Income: $76,875 (30th Best)
Median Home Value: $360,464 (9th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%

10. Bennet

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,218
Median Income: $105,859 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $408,126 (5th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%

11. Albion

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,822
Median Income: $74,492 (35th Best)
Median Home Value: $310,900 (14th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.5%

12. Pierce

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,956
Median Income: $70,859 (43rd Best)
Median Home Value: $285,955 (16th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.2%

13. Henderson

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,049
Median Income: $82,500 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $214,157 (41st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%

14. Fort Calhoun

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,173
Median Income: $102,396 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $534,840 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%

15. Valley

Valley, NE

Source: Wikipedia User Paltron | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,174
Median Income: $110,200 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $527,910 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%

Best States In America

Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Nebraska

We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Nebraska possible.

Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
  • Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
  • Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
  • Commute Times (Lower is better)

We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 83 to be exact.

We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 83, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Nebraska. Top of that list — Waverly.

This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in Nebraska.

Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones

We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in Nebraska are the best in which to live.

And who can argue with that?

The best small towns in Nebraska are Waverly, Hickman, Ceresco, Arlington, Hartington, Milford, Ashland, Bennington, Eagle, and Bennet.

If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Nebraska:

  1. Wymore
  2. Tecumseh
  3. Creighton

For more Nebraska reading, check out:

Best Small Towns In Nebraska

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Value Unemployment Rate
1 Waverly, NE 4,440 $111,632 0.0%
2 Hickman, NE 3,004 $104,375 1.7%
3 Ceresco, NE 1,225 $96,944 2.3%
4 Arlington, NE 1,467 $94,034 0.0%
5 Hartington, NE 1,621 $80,577 1.1%
6 Milford, NE 2,565 $82,699 0.3%
7 Ashland, NE 3,071 $89,408 2.9%
8 Bennington, NE 2,366 $97,500 3.0%
9 Eagle, NE 1,259 $76,875 3.2%
10 Bennet, NE 1,218 $105,859 1.3%
11 Albion, NE 1,822 $74,492 1.5%
12 Pierce, NE 1,956 $70,859 0.2%
13 Henderson, NE 1,049 $82,500 0.7%
14 Fort Calhoun, NE 1,173 $102,396 2.1%
15 Valley, NE 3,174 $110,200 2.1%
16 Aurora, NE 4,664 $77,679 2.1%
17 Alma, NE 1,154 $75,703 1.3%
18 Grant, NE 1,413 $71,389 0.4%
19 Wilber, NE 1,936 $84,712 0.8%
20 St. Paul, NE 2,758 $62,212 1.0%
21 Yutan, NE 1,832 $103,350 8.8%
22 Louisville, NE 1,449 $94,208 3.6%
23 Geneva, NE 2,193 $80,398 0.0%
24 Battle Creek, NE 1,456 $95,536 0.9%
25 Utica, NE 1,015 $88,304 1.4%
26 Wahoo, NE 4,929 $89,457 3.6%
27 Friend, NE 1,155 $90,909 1.6%
28 Springfield, NE 1,595 $92,955 4.5%
29 Central City, NE 3,061 $73,229 0.0%
30 Minden, NE 3,108 $68,449 2.6%
31 David City, NE 3,017 $65,573 0.1%
32 Atkinson, NE 1,377 $79,375 1.5%
33 North Bend, NE 1,152 $85,882 0.2%
34 Gothenburg, NE 3,452 $79,219 0.6%
35 Elm Creek, NE 1,107 $79,148 0.0%
36 Gibbon, NE 1,763 $70,069 5.7%
37 Sutton, NE 1,323 $81,313 1.3%
38 Cambridge, NE 1,082 $61,528 0.0%
39 Syracuse, NE 1,990 $72,404 2.2%
40 Valentine, NE 2,633 $56,898 0.0%
41 Wisner, NE 1,461 $61,739 0.7%
42 Oakland, NE 1,552 $68,900 0.0%
43 Imperial, NE 2,210 $74,176 1.7%
44 West Point, NE 3,471 $65,793 0.8%
45 Ord, NE 2,100 $57,818 0.5%
46 Woodland Park, NE 1,657 $74,000 0.0%
47 Dakota City, NE 2,675 $76,806 5.4%
48 Neligh, NE 1,515 $59,239 2.1%
49 Hebron, NE 1,577 $65,833 1.4%
50 Pender, NE 1,379 $73,125 3.9%
51 Stanton, NE 1,702 $76,500 2.4%
52 Wood River, NE 1,494 $75,417 0.4%
53 Weeping Water, NE 1,407 $83,750 8.8%
54 Ainsworth, NE 1,697 $53,490 0.9%
55 Sutherland, NE 1,209 $72,857 5.6%
56 Superior, NE 1,879 $63,810 1.1%
57 Broken Bow, NE 3,502 $60,129 5.9%
58 O’neill, NE 3,570 $56,510 0.5%
59 Ogallala, NE 4,777 $58,556 3.0%
60 Stromsburg, NE 1,074 $58,988 0.2%
61 Cairo, NE 1,035 $54,511 1.5%
62 Gordon, NE 1,721 $59,226 2.4%
63 Ravenna, NE 1,382 $64,423 2.1%
64 Madison, NE 2,079 $62,738 3.9%
65 Bayard, NE 1,531 $68,333 2.4%
66 Shelton, NE 1,389 $81,278 5.9%
67 Falls City, NE 4,077 $51,706 5.3%
68 Cozad, NE 3,937 $54,471 1.3%
69 Laurel, NE 1,018 $58,519 2.9%
70 Mitchell, NE 1,962 $54,150 3.9%
71 Kimball, NE 2,225 $56,174 0.0%
72 Wakefield, NE 1,305 $56,964 3.9%
73 Fairbury, NE 3,888 $52,995 1.4%
74 Harvard, NE 1,008 $66,000 3.1%
75 Tekamah, NE 1,690 $57,074 0.9%
76 Auburn, NE 3,470 $57,531 4.1%
77 Plainview, NE 1,281 $54,766 8.3%
78 Bridgeport, NE 1,342 $60,404 9.3%
79 Winnebago, NE 1,058 $41,447 12.5%
80 Fullerton, NE 1,346 $47,750 3.2%
81 Creighton, NE 1,222 $50,278 4.3%
82 Tecumseh, NE 1,882 $45,357 6.3%
83 Wymore, NE 1,320 $57,090 4.7%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Best Small Towns, Rankings