Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,733, settled in 1878. 82% more nonprofits per person than the typical Nebraska town.
The best of Atkinson Township’s subject grades are an A for cost of living, an A− for schools, and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a C for walkability. 45% of working residents work locally in Atkinson Township, above both the Nebraska town median (34%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 4 of Nebraska’s 133 towns score higher on hazard risk. The biggest park or preserve is Atkinson State Recreation Area, at 57 acres. Atkinson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Atkinson Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Atkinson Elementary School | PK–6 | 189 |
| St. Joseph Elementary School | PK–8 | 60 |
| West Holt High School | 7–12 | 208 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Atkinson Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 701 in 1890, 1,306 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Atkinson Township, 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 Atkinson Township.
Its public schools are run by the West Holt Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 189 | A |
| West Holt High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 208 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Atkinson Township has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 12° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide). 29% of Atkinson Township residents are under 18, against 24% in Nebraska’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. 36% of Atkinson Township adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Atkinson Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 29% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 28% | 29% |
| Median age | 40 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Atkinson Township | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.2% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.9% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.3% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.9% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.3% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 29.5% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 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 average trip to work in Atkinson Township is 14 minutes. Since 2013, Atkinson Township has lost 227 jobs, to 706 in 2023. 6.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Atkinson Township.
| Atkinson Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 1 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Atkinson Township. Atkinson Township beats the Nebraska average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. Only 3 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Atkinson Township.
| Atkinson Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 31% | 36% |
| What stands out | Atkinson Township | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 8% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 9.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.2% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Atkinson State Recreation Area | — | 57 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Atkinson Township; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Atkinson Township residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
City in Nebraska, United States
Atkinson is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,306 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Atkinson Township.
| Town | NE rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atkinson Township | — | — | A | — | A− | B |
| Stuart Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sand Creek Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sheridan Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pleasant View Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Atkinson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Atkinson Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Stuart Township, Sand Creek Township, Sheridan Township and Pleasant View Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Atkinson Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
82% more nonprofits per person than the typical Nebraska town.
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.