Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,735, platted in 1872.
Albion’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for schools; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. 42% of working residents work locally in Albion, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 34% and U.S. towns at 8%. No town among the 46 in Nebraska we compare has a lower property crime rate than Albion. Albion is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Albion has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office-Albion and Albion Carnegie Library. Albion has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Albion beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Boone Central Elem-Albion | PK–4 | 247 |
| St. Michael's School | K–8 | 94 |
| Boone Central Middle School | 5–8 | 146 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Albion is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 330 in 1880, a peak of 2,268 in 1940, 1,699 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and a map from 1954 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albion, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Albion.
Its public schools are run by the Boone Central Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Central Elem-AlbionLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 247 | A |
| Boone Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 210 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Albion, below both Nebraska’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (17%). 27% of adults feel lonely in Albion. No town among the 58 in Nebraska we compare has a lower share of adults who have obesity than Albion.
| Albion | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Albion | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.1% | 9.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 12.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.5% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Albion has cold winters and warm summers. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 2 have a lower July high than Albion.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Albion’s average trip to work is 16 minutes. Jobs based in Albion grew to 1,167 in 2023, 59 more than in 2013. 6.8% of Albion residents live below the poverty line.
| Albion | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 4.9% | 5.4% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Nebraska.
| Albion | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.1 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Albion | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.6% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.4% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.1% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.1% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.4% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Albion home is worth about $315,000, up 1.6% in a year, 13% above the Nebraska typical home. The median rent in Albion is $705 a month.
| Albion | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $705 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Albion's reported crime rate is well below Nebraska's. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fuller Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Albion; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Albion residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
4 notable people were born in Albion.
City in Nebraska, United States
Albion is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,699 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
Albion was platted in 1872 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 4 notable people were born here, including Francis P. Matthews and Viola Florence Barnes.
