10 Fastest Growing Cities In Nebraska [2026]

Is being in an area of Nebraska that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask.

Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Omaha and Lincoln, while others want peace and quiet like in Chadron and Holdrege, thank you very much.

But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Nebraska have grown the fastest.

After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Cornhusker State that have people climbing over each other to get in.

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

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Nebraska For 2026

What’s the fastest growing city in Nebraska for 2026? Based on the most recent ACS data, Gretna ranks as the fastest-growing city in Nebraska. If you happen to be a resident of Gretna, you’re probably not surprised to find it on our list.

If you’re surprised — and you’re wondering why these places are a big deal — keep reading. We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Nebraska grow like weeds.

For more Nebraska state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Nebraska For 2026

1. Gretna

Source: Wikipedia User Jared Winkler | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,193
Population 2010: 4,164
Percent Growth 120.8%
Absolute Growth: 5,029
More on Gretna: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers

2. Papillion

Source: Wikipedia User Atomic Energy505 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 25,244
Population 2010: 18,829
Percent Growth 34.1%
Absolute Growth: 6,415
More on Papillion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

3. Bellevue

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 64,510
Population 2010: 50,241
Percent Growth 28.4%
Absolute Growth: 14,269
More on Bellevue: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

4. Omaha

Source: Wikipedia User Raymond Bucko, SJ | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 488,837
Population 2010: 407,334
Percent Growth 20.0%
Absolute Growth: 81,503
More on Omaha: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

5. Lincoln

Source: Wikipedia User Hanyou23 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 294,856
Population 2010: 253,035
Percent Growth 16.5%
Absolute Growth: 41,821
More on Lincoln: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

6. Kearney

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 34,246
Population 2010: 30,214
Percent Growth 13.3%
Absolute Growth: 4,032
More on Kearney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

7. Columbus

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 24,488
Population 2010: 21,640
Percent Growth 13.2%
Absolute Growth: 2,848
More on Columbus: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

8. Grand Island

Source: Wikipedia User Zancar | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 52,884
Population 2010: 46,975
Percent Growth 12.6%
Absolute Growth: 5,909
More on Grand Island: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

9. Seward

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,678
Population 2010: 6,846
Percent Growth 12.2%
Absolute Growth: 832
More on Seward: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

10. Schuyler

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 6,578
Population 2010: 5,931
Percent Growth 10.9%
Absolute Growth: 647
More on Schuyler: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Cornhusker State for 2026

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

Current Population
Population in 2010
Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2024)

We ranked all 32 Nebraska cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Cornhusker State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Nebraska.

Here’s a graph of the cities in Nebraska with the most significant percent increase in population:

Click to enlarge

Most Dangerous Cities In Nebraska

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Nebraska, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Nebraska are led by Gretna which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

The fastest-growing cities in Nebraska are Gretna, Papillion, Bellevue, Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Columbus, Grand Island, Seward, and Schuyler.

It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

Chadron
North Platte
Mccook

For more Nebraska reading, check out:

Fastest Growing Places In Nebraska For 2026

Rank	City	Population	Population 2010	Growth	Absolute Growth
1	Gretna	9,193	4,164	120.8%	5,029
2	Papillion	25,244	18,829	34.1%	6,415
3	Bellevue	64,510	50,241	28.4%	14,269
4	Omaha	488,837	407,334	20.0%	81,503
5	Lincoln	294,856	253,035	16.5%	41,821
6	Kearney	34,246	30,214	13.3%	4,032
7	Columbus	24,488	21,640	13.2%	2,848
8	Grand Island	52,884	46,975	12.6%	5,909
9	Seward	7,678	6,846	12.2%	832
10	Schuyler	6,578	5,931	10.9%	647