AmherstNE
A town of 204, settled in 1890.
Is Amherst a good place to live?
1% of working residents work locally in Amherst, against 34% in Nebraska’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 2 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Amherst. Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
204 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Amherst: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Amherst.
Amherst’s typical home value is about $406K
The typical Amherst home is worth about $406,000, up 12.8% in a year, 46% above the Nebraska typical home. At $679 a month, Amherst’s median rent is where Nebraska’s towns sit at $914 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 77% of Amherst households own their home.
| Amherst | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $679 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 67% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The schools Amherst’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Amherst Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 203 | A |
| Amherst High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 157 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Amherst faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by hail
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most of Amherst’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Amherst’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Kearney (43%), Holdrege (4%) and Grand Island (4%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
| Amherst | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer young adults than Nebraska overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 32% of residents (25% statewide). 38% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Amherst.
| Amherst | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 28% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 35.9 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 21% and 65% women
The Census survey reached too few of Amherst’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±21.7 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Amherst | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 22.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.2% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.8% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.8% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
In Amherst, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Amherst has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 14° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Amherst is
Amherst beats the Nebraska average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Amherst.
| Amherst | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Amherst | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Amherst
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Amherst
About 8 of every 100 Amherst residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
99% of working residents leave Amherst for work
Where Amherst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Amherst
Village in Nebraska, US
Amherst is a village in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Amherst had a population of 201.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,356 ft
- ZIP code
- 68812
Questions about Amherst
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Amherst, NE a good place to live?
Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.