Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Auburn gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $172K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades B overall, 29th of 57 graded towns in Nebraska. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $58K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 8 of Nebraska’s 131 towns score lower on health. Its National Register listings include Wilber T. Reed House and First United Presbyterian Church of Auburn. Only 1 of the 50 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Auburn.
Where Auburn beats most towns.
Wilber T. Reed HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Auburn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,537 in 1890, 3,470 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 2 maps from 1915 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Auburn, 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 Auburn.
Auburn is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has property taxes about half the Nebraska norm.
The median property tax bill is $1,660, against $3,549 across Nebraska, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
50% of households own their home in Auburn, against 67% in Nebraska’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. The median rent in Auburn is $797 a month. The typical Auburn home is worth about $172,000, up 3.5% in a year, 38% below the Nebraska typical home.
| Auburn | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $797 a month | $921 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Auburn Public Schools. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvert ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 531 | B |
| Auburn High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 258 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Against the 8,177 U.S. towns with household incomes like Auburn’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Auburn, above both the Nebraska town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 33% of adults get no exercise outside work in Auburn. Auburn beats the Nebraska average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12.
| Auburn | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Auburn | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.4% | 12.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.1% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 33.2% | 24.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Auburn has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 15° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Auburn’s working residents works in town. Auburn’s average trip to work is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Lincoln (9%), Omaha (8%) and Nebraska City (5%).
| Auburn | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 35% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $70,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Auburn since 1993.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Auburn
About 3 of every 100 Auburn residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
7 places in Auburn on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Auburn.
City in Nebraska, United States
Auburn is a city in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,470 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.
By most measures, yes. Auburn grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #29 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades C for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
7 notable people were born here, including Elzada Clover and Beth Malone.
