Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Crete gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $243K, 3 years of the county’s $80K median household income. It grades C overall, 49th of 57 graded towns in Nebraska. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 66% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Crete is home to Doane University. 28% of working residents work locally in Crete, below Nebraska’s towns (35%) but above U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Doane College Historic Buildings and Johnston-Muff House.
Where Crete beats most towns.
Doane College Historic Buildings| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Doane University | 1,948 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Crete is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,870 in 1880, 7,099 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 3 maps from 1897 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crete, 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 Crete.
Crete trades workers with Lincoln and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by about half.
1.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Only 4 of the 56 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Crete. The biggest park or preserve is Tuxedo Park, at 101 acres.
| Crete | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tuxedo Park | — | 101 |
| 2. Little League Park | — | 8 |
| 3. Wildwood Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Crete Public Schools. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Crete High School, with 705 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crete Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 471 | B− |
| Crete High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 705 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 191 to 102 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Crete is 11.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Crete | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.7 per 1,000 residents | 7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Crete has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 15° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 1981, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Crete.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Crete has about as many jobs (3,043) as working residents, but only 923 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 4,212 in 2013 to 3,043.
About one in 4 of Crete’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Crete fell to 3,043 in 2023, 1,169 fewer than in 2013. Crete’s average trip to work is 18 minutes.
| Crete | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Crete home is worth about $243,000, down 1.2% in a year, 13% below the Nebraska typical home.
| Crete | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $936 a month | $907 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 67% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Crete beats the Nebraska average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Crete. Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 1 have a higher share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Crete.
| Crete | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 9.7% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 76% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| What stands out | Crete | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 8.3% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 21% | 24% |
| More uninsured adults | 20.1% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Crete. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Stadium & arenaMemorial Stadium
18 mi Stadium & arenaPinnacle Bank Arena
19 mi MuseumSheldon Museum of Art
18 mi MuseumMuseum of American Speed
19 mi MuseumUniversity of Nebraska State Museum
24 mi National Historical ParkHomestead National Historical Park43K visitors a yearMemorial Stadium: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 · Pinnacle Bank Arena: CrunchySkies, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sheldon Museum of Art: Ammodramus, CC0 · Museum of American Speed: Amjackson16, CC BY-SA 4.0 · University of Nebraska State Museum: Hanyou23, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Homestead National Historical Park: Billdorr at English Wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Crete
About 13 of every 100 Crete residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
8 places in Crete on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Crete.
City in Saline County, Nebraska, United States
Crete is the most populous city of Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,099 at the 2020 census. The city is home to Doane University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Crete grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #49 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B− for health, C for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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 B+.
7 notable people were born here, including John William Chapman and George F. Sprague.
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