There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Nebraska that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Cornhusker State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Nebraska’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Beatrice, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Nebraska according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Beatrice. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Nebraska as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
41.9 median age · 32.0% married households · #2 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
Gage County, Nebraska
Beatrice is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska. Its population was 12,459 at the 2010 census. It is located 40 miles south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.8 median age · 36.0% married households · #6 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
Box Butte County, Nebraska
Alliance is a city in Box Butte County, in the northwestern part of the state of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. Its population was 8,491 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Butte County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
37.4 median age · 33.0% married households · #12 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
Washington County, Nebraska
Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
41.9 median age · 28.0% married households · #2 oldest in Nebraska
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
41.1 median age · 39.0% married households · #4 oldest in Nebraska
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
38.1 median age · 32.0% married households · #10 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
York County, Nebraska
York is a city in, and the county seat of, York County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,766. It is the home of York College and the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
41.2 median age · 30.0% married households · #3 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
Red Willow County, Nebraska
McCook is a city and county seat of Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,698 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
40.2 median age · 27.0% married households · #7 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
Lincoln County, Nebraska
North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. The population was 24,733 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
35.8 median age · 29.0% married households · #19 oldest in Nebraska
Located in
Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Gering is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 8,500 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Scotts Bluff County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
36.3 median age · 32.0% married households · #18 oldest in Nebraska
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
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in Nebraska
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Cornhusker State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Nebraska. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Nebraska city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in Nebraska.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Nebraska For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beatrice | 8.10 | 12,225 | 41.9 | 32.0% | 24.9% |
| 2 | Alliance | 8.90 | 8,075 | 40.8 | 36.0% | 25.3% |
| 3 | Blair | 9.40 | 7,914 | 37.4 | 33.0% | 36.3% |
| 4 | Sidney | 9.60 | 6,419 | 41.9 | 28.0% | 21.6% |
| 5 | Holdrege | 9.90 | 5,546 | 41.1 | 39.0% | 21.2% |
| 6 | York | 11.00 | 8,141 | 38.1 | 32.0% | 27.1% |
| 7 | McCook | 11.10 | 7,314 | 41.2 | 30.0% | 23.9% |
| 8 | North Platte | 11.60 | 22,831 | 40.2 | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 9 | Gering | 12.00 | 8,550 | 35.8 | 29.0% | 37.2% |
| 10 | Gretna | 12.90 | 9,193 | 36.3 | 32.0% | 47.5% |
| 11 | Papillion | 12.90 | 25,244 | 41.1 | 24.0% | 31.7% |
| 12 | Hastings | 13.60 | 25,008 | 37.3 | 32.0% | 28.7% |
| 13 | Plattsmouth | 13.80 | 6,731 | 38.4 | 26.0% | 27.5% |
| 14 | Columbus | 14.40 | 24,488 | 37.4 | 30.0% | 30.6% |
| 15 | Fremont | 14.50 | 27,567 | 37.5 | 31.0% | 30.8% |
| 16 | Seward | 14.70 | 7,678 | 32.0 | 33.0% | 34.4% |
| 17 | Norfolk | 14.90 | 26,054 | 37.3 | 31.0% | 28.2% |
| 18 | Grand Island | 15.80 | 52,884 | 34.7 | 24.0% | 36.4% |
| 19 | Scottsbluff | 15.90 | 14,376 | 38.8 | 28.0% | 26.1% |
| 20 | Ralston | 16.60 | 6,472 | 37.3 | 32.0% | 24.7% |
| 21 | Bellevue | 18.90 | 64,510 | 36.3 | 17.0% | 31.4% |
| 22 | Crete | 19.80 | 7,527 | 33.2 | 20.0% | 39.2% |
| 23 | Omaha | 20.10 | 488,837 | 35.3 | 21.0% | 28.8% |
| 24 | Lexington | 21.00 | 10,862 | 31.3 | 10.0% | 45.9% |
| 25 | La Vista | 21.20 | 16,563 | 33.5 | 23.0% | 30.1% |
| 26 | Schuyler | 21.60 | 6,578 | 30.4 | 12.0% | 51.9% |
| 27 | Lincoln | 21.80 | 294,856 | 33.4 | 26.0% | 27.0% |
| 28 | Chadron | 22.20 | 5,160 | 30.5 | 21.0% | 25.3% |
| 29 | Kearney | 22.20 | 34,246 | 32.8 | 26.0% | 26.2% |
| 30 | Wayne | 24.60 | 6,121 | 23.2 | 24.0% | 28.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 30 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Nebraska isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in Nebraska are Beatrice, Alliance, Blair, Sidney, Holdrege, York, McCook, North Platte, Gering, and Gretna.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Nebraska, according to science.
