Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 3,354 jobs.
Columbus Township gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $236K, 3.1 years of the Columbus area’s $75K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 40th of 57 graded towns in Nebraska. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of U.S. communities, with tornadoes at the top. Only 1 of Nebraska’s 127 towns score lower on civic life. Columbus Izaak Walton League Lodge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 4 have a higher share of households owning their home than Columbus Township.
Where Columbus Township beats most towns.
Columbus Izaak Walton League LodgeWhere Columbus Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Columbus Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 526 in 1870, 24,028 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 3 maps from 1899 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbus 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 Columbus Township.
Columbus Township draws workers from Columbus and beyond and owes part of its health edge to its incomes.
3,354 jobs are based in Columbus Township, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Columbus Township for work: only 12% work in town. Columbus Township’s average trip to work is 17 minutes, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 17 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Columbus Township’s median household income is $98,000.
| Columbus Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 35% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $98,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Since 1979, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Columbus Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Columbus Township has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 13° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). Columbus Township’s median age is 41.5 years, against 37.5 years in Nebraska’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Nebraska.
| Columbus Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.5 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 19% | 18% |
44% women, 56% men
About 126 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.9 points). Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women. Among residents 55 to 64, 67% are men (NE 50%).
| Columbus Township | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.1% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.2% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 27.5% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.8% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 11% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.8% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.8% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,400, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 8,895 U.S. towns with household incomes like Columbus Township’s, it is less healthy than 62%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Columbus Township beats the Nebraska average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Columbus Township. Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Columbus Township.
| Columbus Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 35% |
| What stands out | Columbus Township | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.9% | 9.9% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 27.8% | 24.3% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.4% | 3.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
13 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 3 of the 56 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Columbus Township. The biggest park or preserve is Ag Park, at 99 acres.
| Columbus Township | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ag Park | — | 99 |
| 2. Wilderness Park Soccer Complex | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Columbus Township; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Columbus Township residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
City in and county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, United States
Columbus is the county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, situated at the confluence of the Loup and Platte rivers roughly 85 miles (137 km) west-northwest of Omaha and 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Lincoln by road, near the county's southern edge. With an estimated population of 24,464 as of 2024, it is the 10th-most populous city in Nebraska. Initially settled in May 1856 along the historic Great Platte River Road, the city was named for Columbus, Ohio; its location along the proposed transcontinental railroad made it especially attractive to early settlers. Despite the construction of a hydroelectric plant, the Great Depression hit the region especially hard. Since, its economy has pivote…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Columbus Township.
| Town | NE rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Township | #40 | C+ | B | — | C | B |
| Alexis Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Butler Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oconee Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Columbus | #38 | B− | B | B | C− | B− |
Columbus Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Alexis Township, Butler Township and Oconee Township aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Columbus Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Columbus Township grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #40 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B for health and C for schools. Hazard risk 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 B.