Is Brainard a good place to live?
Brainard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
353 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Brainard: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brainard, 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 Brainard.
The climate in Brainard brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 3 have a lower peak summer temperature than Brainard. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 14° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most of Brainard’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
Just 5% of Brainard’s working residents have a job in town. This Nebraska town had 112 jobs in 2023, down 45 from 2013. Its average trip to work is 21 minutes. Among residents locally, 6.9% live below the poverty line, below both Nebraska’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Brainard | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 34% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest natural risk in Brainard is hail, at a high overall level
Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 63% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Brainard after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Brainard is
Among adults in Brainard, 8.9% worry about having enough food. Of 32 CDC measures, Brainard beats the Nebraska average on 9 and trails it on 2. 16% of adults locally have been diagnosed with depression; 28% feel lonely.
| Brainard | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| What stands out | Brainard | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8% | 12.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 12.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow puts the typical Brainard home at about $274K
Among households in Brainard, 79% own their home, above both the Nebraska town median (67%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). The town’s typical rent is $756 a month. Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Brainard | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $756 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Brainard
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Brainard; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Brainard residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
About Brainard
Village in Nebraska, US
Brainard is a village in Butler County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Brainard had a population of 336.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,673 ft
- ZIP code
- 68626
Questions about Brainard
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Brainard, NE a good place to live?
Brainard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.