Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,184, settled in 1866. 3.6 times the library visits per person than the typical Nebraska town.
Trash & recyclingCentral City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $207K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Grand Island metro’s $70K median household income. It grades A− overall, 21st of 57 graded towns in Nebraska. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 77% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 83% of U.S. towns. Central City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 56 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower median rent than Central City.
Where Central City beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Central City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 648 in 1880, 3,039 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and a map from 1962 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Central City, 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 Central City.
Central City pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Nebraska norm and has added a third more jobs in ten years.
Since 1982, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Central City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Central City Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 327 | B− |
| Central City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 243 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Central City grades A− overall with a typical home of about $207K, below the Nebraska typical value; only 8 of the 18 Nebraska towns graded A− or better can say that. Homes are within reach (about $207K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
The typical Central City home is worth about $207,000, up 3% in a year, 26% below the Nebraska typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Central City has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 14° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 1,064 in 2013 to 1,402.
About one in 3 of Central City’s working residents works in town. 4.1% of Central City residents live below the poverty line, against 11% in Nebraska’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Central City has added 338 jobs, to 1,402 in 2023.
| Central City | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 35% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Central City's reported crime rate is well below Nebraska's. Central City’s property crime rate is 0.6 per 1,000 residents, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 8 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025.
| Central City | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Central City beats the Nebraska average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Central City.
| Central City | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 29% | 33% |
| What stands out | Central City | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 7.5% | 6.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.5% | 6.1% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.8% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lone Tree Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Kernel Field | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Central City; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Central City residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
3 places in Central City on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Central City.
City in Nebraska, United States
Central City is a city in and the county seat of Merrick County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Grand Island metropolitan area. The population was 3,039 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. Central City grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #21 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B for health and C+ for schools. Hazard risk 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−.
8 notable people were born here, including Wright Morris and Bernard Palmer.
