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Is being in an area 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 Gretna and Holdrege, thank you very much.
But today we're going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts -- over the past five years, which cities in Nebraska have the grown the fastest.
After getting knee deep in the Census's American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Cornhusker State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Nebraska for 2022 according to the most recent census data:
What's the fastest growing city in Nebraska for 2022? Based on the most recent ACS data, Papillion ranks as the fastest growing city in Nebraska. If you happen to be a resident of Papillion, you're probably not too surprised to find it on our list.
If you're surprised--and you're wondering why these places are kind of a big deal--keep reading. We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Nebraska are growing like weeds.
And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Nebraska or the Fastest Growing States In America.
For more Nebraska state reading:
- Best Places To Live In Nebraska
- Cheapest Places To Live In Nebraska
- Most Dangerous Cities In Nebraska
The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Nebraska For 2022
1. Papillion
/10
Population: 24,310
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 7)
Population 2010: 18,829
Percent Growth 29.1%
Absolute Growth: 5,481
More on Papillion: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
2. Bellevue
/10
Population: 63,970
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 8)
Population 2010: 50,241
Percent Growth 27.3%
Absolute Growth: 13,729
More on Bellevue: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
3. Ralston
/10
Population: 7,305
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 5,961
Percent Growth 22.5%
Absolute Growth: 1,344
More on Ralston: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
4. Gretna
/10
Population: 5,039
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 4,164
Percent Growth 21.0%
Absolute Growth: 875
More on Gretna: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
5. Omaha
/10
Population: 479,529
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 407,334
Percent Growth 17.7%
Absolute Growth: 72,195
More on Omaha: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
6. La Vista
/10
Population: 17,081
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 15,044
Percent Growth 13.5%
Absolute Growth: 2,037
More on La Vista: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
7. Lincoln
/10
Population: 286,388
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 253,035
Percent Growth 13.2%
Absolute Growth: 33,353
More on Lincoln: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
8. Kearney
/10
Population: 33,783
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 30,214
Percent Growth 11.8%
Absolute Growth: 3,569
More on Kearney: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
9. Grand Island
/10
Population: 51,250
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Population 2010: 46,975
Percent Growth 9.1%
Absolute Growth: 4,275
More on Grand Island: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
10. Columbus
/10
Population: 23,291
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 21,640
Percent Growth 7.6%
Absolute Growth: 1,651
More on Columbus: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Cornhusker State for 2022
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine 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 2018)
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]
Here's a graph of the cities in Nebraska with the largest percent increase in population:
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 Papillion which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
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
- Alliance
- Sidney
For more Nebraska reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Nebraska
- Safest Places In Nebraska
- Worst Places To Live In Nebraska
Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In Nebraska For 2022
| Rank | City | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papillion | 29.1% |
| 2 | Bellevue | 27.3% |
| 3 | Ralston | 22.5% |
| 4 | Gretna | 21.0% |
| 5 | Omaha | 17.7% |
| 6 | La Vista | 13.5% |
| 7 | Lincoln | 13.2% |
| 8 | Kearney | 11.8% |
| 9 | Grand Island | 9.1% |
| 10 | Columbus | 7.6% |