Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
38% of residents are 65 or older in Crawford, against 19% in Nebraska’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. No town among the 58 in Nebraska we compare has a higher age of the median resident than Crawford. 22% of the land in Crawford is conserved, above both the Nebraska town median (3.8%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Its National Register listings include Fort Robinson and Red Cloud Agency and US Post Office-Crawford. Crawford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Crawford beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 571 in 1890, a peak of 1,845 in 1940, 840 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and a map from 1980 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crawford, 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 Crawford.
Crawford has lost 7.1% of its people since 2020, down to 780 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are 38% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 9% of residents (23% statewide). Among adults 25 and older, 27% have a four-year degree or more, against 35% across Nebraska.
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Crawford | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.1% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 1.8% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.1% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.6% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 21.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 16.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.1% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.9% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.7% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 800, single groups can be off by several points
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to the Crawford Public Schools. The 2 public schools in Crawford teach 166 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 87 | B− |
| Crawford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 79 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts
Only 5 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Crawford. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 9.7%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Trails run 1.0 miles in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Fort Robinson State Park, at 165 acres. Crawford’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fort Robinson State Park | — | 165 |
| 2. Crawford City Park | — | 69 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Crawford, the typical July afternoon high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Chadron (39%), O'Neill (4%) and Scottsbluff (4%). Just 13% of Crawford’s working residents have a job in town. Jobs based locally fell to 266 in 2023, 42 fewer than in 2013. The town’s typical journey to work comes in at 22 minutes.
| Crawford | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 34% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. One declared disaster, in 2013, has brought federal aid to Crawford households.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Crawford: 37% of adults have obesity. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Crawford. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Crawford is ahead of Nebraska on 8 and behind on 10.
| Crawford | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Crawford | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 9.5% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.7% | 9.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.2% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crawford. Close and well known come first.
3 mi LandmarkFort Robinson
23 mi National MonumentAgate Fossil Beds National Monument17K visitors a year
14 mi Ancient siteHudson-Meng Bison Kill
26 mi National forestNebraska National Forest
3 mi MuseumTrailside Museum of Natural History at Fort Robinson State ParkFort Robinson: Slothus, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Agate Fossil Beds National Monument: The original uploader was Urban at French Wikipedia., Public domain · Hudson-Meng Bison Kill: SkybirdForever, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nebraska National Forest: Bkell, Public domain · Trailside Museum of Natural History at Fort Robinson State Park: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2
None within 15 miles of Crawford; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Crawford residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
2 places in Crawford on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Crawford.
City in Dawes county, Nebraska, United States
Crawford is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. As of the 2020 census, Crawford had a population of 840. It was incorporated in 1886 and was named for the late Captain Emmet Crawford, who had been stationed at nearby Fort Robinson.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Crawford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born here, including Kermit Brashear and Robert L. Wheeler.
