Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,975, settled in 1884. 3 times the library visits per person than the typical Nebraska town.
Trash & recyclingChadron's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades B, 31st among Nebraska's 57 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 80% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 92% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is safety: its police reported 20 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 75% of U.S. towns. 58% of working residents work locally in Chadron, against 33% in Nebraska’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Chadron's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. Only 5 of Nebraska’s 133 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Chadron beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,867 in 1890, 5,206 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and a map from 1955 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Chadron is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chadron, 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 Chadron.
Chadron carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Nebraska (mostly cold waves), is shaped by its college students and gets more snow than almost anywhere else in Nebraska.
The trail density in Chadron is 5.4 miles per square mile. 21 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. More trails than any other town in Nebraska.
| Chadron | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 5.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dean's Green | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 2. Wilson Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
| 3. War Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Chadron Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chadron Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 295 | B+ |
| Chadron Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 242 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 100% of Nebraska towns; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Chadron’s FEMA risk score is 7 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,291 U.S. towns with household incomes like Chadron’s, it is healthier than 98%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of Chadron adults binge drink. Chadron beats the Nebraska average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 72% of Chadron adults had a checkup this year.
| Chadron | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 76% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Chadron | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.9% | 10.7% |
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 27.9% | 33% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 78.3% | 83.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
22.5% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.6% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Adults 18 to 34 are 36% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 18% of residents (25% statewide). 44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Chadron. Only 1 of the 57 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Chadron.
| Chadron | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.5 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 28% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 67% are men (NE 51%).
| Chadron | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.5% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.5% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 24.5% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.7% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.2% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.7% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.8% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 5,000, single groups can be off by several points
At 32 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 89% of Nebraska’s graded towns.
Among 45 Nebraska towns, just 3 have a higher violent crime rate than Chadron. Chadron reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 75% report less.
| Chadron | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Chadron home is worth about $198,000, up 4.9% in a year, 29% below the Nebraska typical home.
| Chadron | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $881 a month | $921 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Chadron 3sw weather station records that 50 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, the #2 highest of 910 Nebraska places with climate records.
Chadron has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 4 have a higher July high than Chadron.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 4 of the 57 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower median household income than Chadron. The top destinations are Scottsbluff (4%), O'Neill (3%) and Omaha (2%). Half commute less than 1 miles.
| Chadron | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $70,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Chadron
College town 23 of every 100 Chadron residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
2.5% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
7 places in Chadron on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Chadron.
City in Dawes County, Nebraska, US
Chadron ( SHAD-rən) is a city in and the county seat of Dawes County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. The population was 5,206 at the 2020 census. The city is home to an 11-story high-rise on the campus of Chadron State College, with the building being the tallest in the Nebraska Panhandle.
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. Chadron grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #31 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B+ for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Safety is its weak spot, with a C.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
4 notable people were born here, including Leslie Lynch King, Sr. and Bethany Soye.
