The 10 Poorest Cities In Nebraska For 2026

Source: Public domain

$53,702 median income · 19.9% poverty · #1 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Wayne County, Nebraska

Median income -30% vs NE

$53,702

NE $76k

Poverty rate +88% vs NE

19.9%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment +117% vs NE

6.5%

NE 3.0%

Wayne, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Nebraska thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 6,121 people averages the lowest median household income in Nebraska and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

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Source: Wikipedia User Publichall | CC BY-SA 3.0

$54,734 median income · 16.2% poverty · #3 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Cheyenne County, Nebraska

Median income -28% vs NE

$54,734

NE $76k

Poverty rate +53% vs NE

16.2%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment +3% vs NE

3.1%

NE 3.0%

The second poorest city in Nebraska is Sidney.

The city ranks as having the 5th highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 13th highest in the Cornhusker State.

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Source: Public domain

$55,789 median income · 16.6% poverty · #4 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Phelps County, Nebraska

Median income -27% vs NE

$55,789

NE $76k

Poverty rate +57% vs NE

16.6%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment -40% vs NE

1.8%

NE 3.0%

Placing as the third poorest city, Holdrege’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 16.6% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Cornhusker State.

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Source: Public domain

$57,264 median income · 17.4% poverty · #7 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Gage County, Nebraska

Median income -25% vs NE

$57,264

NE $76k

Poverty rate +64% vs NE

17.4%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment -43% vs NE

1.7%

NE 3.0%

Beatrice ranks as the fourth poorest place in Nebraska.

The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 2nd highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

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Source: Public domain

$56,917 median income · 17.3% poverty · #6 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Red Willow County, Nebraska

Median income -26% vs NE

$56,917

NE $76k

Poverty rate +63% vs NE

17.3%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment -53% vs NE

1.4%

NE 3.0%

The fifth poorest city in Nebraska is McCook.

The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 3rd highest in Nebraska.

Still not the best news for McCook.

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$56,359 median income · 15.4% poverty · #5 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska

Median income -26% vs NE

$56,359

NE $76k

Poverty rate +45% vs NE

15.4%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment -13% vs NE

2.6%

NE 3.0%

Scottsbluff ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Cornhusker State.

It ranks as having the 6th highest incidence of poverty and the 16th highest unemployment rate.

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Source: Public domain

$58,097 median income · 15.4% poverty · #8 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Lincoln County, Nebraska

Median income -24% vs NE

$58,097

NE $76k

Poverty rate +45% vs NE

15.4%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment +30% vs NE

3.9%

NE 3.0%

North Platte places as the seventh poorest city in Nebraska.

The city of over 22,831 ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

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Source: Public domain

$54,590 median income · 13.2% poverty · #2 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Dawes County, Nebraska

Median income -29% vs NE

$54,590

NE $76k

Poverty rate +25% vs NE

13.2%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment -40% vs NE

1.8%

NE 3.0%

Chadron ranks as the eighth poorest city in Nebraska.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

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Source: Public domain

$58,884 median income · 14.3% poverty · #9 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Madison County, Nebraska

Median income -23% vs NE

$58,884

NE $76k

Poverty rate +35% vs NE

14.3%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment +7% vs NE

3.2%

NE 3.0%

Norfolk couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Nebraska; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 9th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Norfolk ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Nebraska.

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$63,795 median income · 15.2% poverty · #11 lowest income in Nebraska

Located in Hall County, Nebraska

Median income -17% vs NE

$63,795

NE $76k

Poverty rate +43% vs NE

15.2%

NE 10.6%

Unemployment +53% vs NE

4.6%

NE 3.0%

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Nebraska is Grand Island.

The city of 52,884 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Cornhusker State.

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