Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 4 have a higher natural-hazard score from FEMA than Elm Creek. Expected losses in Elm Creek break down as 42% from hail and 20% from strong winds. 2 flood insurance claims have been paid in the town since 2019.

79risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

HailStrong windInland flooding

paid flood claims since 2019

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageElm Creek’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claimsSince 2019 Past disasters3 federal disasters · Paid out in Elm Creek Get ready6.9 events a year, on average · Ready for hail

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Schools

The schools Elm Creek’s kids attend

Public schools: the Elm Creek Public Schools. Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Elm Creek teach 364 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Elm Creek Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6	Grades PK–6	215	B⁻
Elm Creek High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12	Grades 7–12	149	C⁺

Full pageElm Creek’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsELM CREEK PUBLIC SCHOOLS Every school2 schools · Elm Creek Elementary School Questions“Are Elm Creek’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Work & commute

About half of Elm Creek’s working residents commute to Kearney

Jobs based in Elm Creek fell to 186 in 2023, 77 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave Elm Creek for work: only 3% work in town. The average trip to work in the town is 23 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 15 miles away.

3%work in town

	Elm Creek	Nebraska towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	3.3%	34%	8%
Average trip to work	23 minutes	17 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	12%	11%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Elm Creek3%

Kearney48%

Grand Island5%

Omaha3%

Lincoln3%

15 mi

median commute distance

186

jobs based in Elm Creek

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageElm Creek’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here186 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work3% work in Elm Creek Commute times23 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 15 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Elm Creek

Expect cold winters and warm summers in Elm Creek. Summer afternoons peak near 87° in July, and January nights bottom out around 14°; snowfall runs to about 20 inches a winter.

20″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter16–39°

Spring36–62°

Summer60–85°

Fall38–65°

Oct 13

typical first frost

Apr 26

typical last frost

+0.7°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageElm Creek’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 87°, January lows 14°Rain & snow20″ of snow a winter · 24 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.7° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Who lives here

More children than Nebraska overall

The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 26%, against 35% across Nebraska. Children under 18 are 32% of residents (25% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 30% of residents (36% statewide). Just over a tenth of Elm Creek residents are 65 or older, below both the Nebraska town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). What’s more, only 2 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower midpoint age than Elm Creek.

29.8median age · NE 37.2

	Elm Creek	Nebraska towns	U.S. towns
Under 18	32%	24%	22%
Median age	29.8 years	37.5 years	40.5 years
Aged 65 or older	11%	19%	18%
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	26%	28%	29%

Elm CreekNebraskaUnited States

NEU.S.

Ages · share of residents

23%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma3%

High school30%

Some college28%

Associate’s14%

Bachelor’s20%

Graduate6%

Women and men · all residents

53% women, 47% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.3 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 78% are men (NE 51%).

Ages and education in Elm Creek
	Elm Creek	NE	U.S.
Under 10	23.4%	13.1%	11.6%
10 to 17	8.4%	11.4%	10.3%
18 to 24	7.4%	9.8%	9.1%
25 to 34	19.6%	12.9%	13.7%
35 to 44	11.7%	13.1%	13.2%
45 to 54	6.5%	11.1%	12.2%
55 to 64	11.9%	11.9%	12.7%
65 to 74	6.9%	9.9%	10.2%
75 and older	4.2%	6.8%	7%
No diploma	2.7%	7.8%	10.4%
High school	30.3%	25%	26%
Some college	27.9%	21.6%	19.1%
Associate’s	13.5%	11%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	19.6%	22.3%	21.6%
Graduate	5.9%	12.3%	14.1%

Full pageElm Creek by the numbersOpen the page

Ages29.8 median age · 11% are 65 or older Schooling26% have a four-year degree Homes71% own their home · Homeowners Income$79K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points

Health

How healthy Elm Creek is

Nearly one in ten adults in Elm Creek have diabetes; 13% say their health is fair or poor. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Elm Creek. The share of adults in Elm Creek who worry about having enough food: 9.1%.

	Elm Creek	Nebraska towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	22%	19%	16%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	8.6%	11%	12%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	13%	17%	19%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	11%	13%	14%

32 measures vs. Nebraska

10 better22 too close to call0 worse

What stands out	Elm Creek	NE
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth	8.1%	12.4%
Fewer uninsured adults	7%	9.9%

Kearney Regional Medical Center

14.1 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: primary care, mental health

Full pageElm Creek’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby14.1 miles to an ER · Kearney Regional Medical Center How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than NE on 10 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Housing

The typical home in Elm Creek is valued at about $244K

Elm Creek’s median rent comes in at $761 a month. Typical home values rose 4.6% in the year to September 2026. 71% of Elm Creek households live in a home they own, against 67% in Nebraska’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.

$244KZillow home value

	Elm Creek	Nebraska towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$761 a month	$914 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	71%	67%	73%

Typical home value

Elm Creek$244K

Nebraska$278K

+4.6%

value change, 1 year

Full pageElm Creek’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 4.6% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.1 years of income Rents$761 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Elm Creek

18pages on Elm Creek

The big questions

Schools2 schools HealthBetter than NE on 10 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$244K typical home · up 4.6% in a year Work & commute$79K median household income · 186 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities · hail

Out and about

PlacesAttractions5 nearby · Museum of Nebraska Art 16 mi Library2.1 library visits per resident CollegesUniversity of Nebraska at Kearney is 14.6 mi away

The story

HistoryFounded 1866 Famous people1 born in Elm Creek Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 492 residents Climate87° summer highs · 20″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 68836 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

1 within 15 miles of the center of Elm Creek

University of Nebraska at KearneyUniversity or college · Public · Kearney14.6 mi$8,676 in-state tuition

About 6 of every 100 Elm Creek residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

97% of working residents leave Elm Creek for work

Where Elm Creek’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

186jobs based in Elm Creek

3%of working residents work in town

15 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Elm Creek

Village in Nebraska, US

Elm Creek is a village in Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Kearney, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 979 at the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 0.7 sq mi
Elevation: 2,267 ft
ZIP code: 68836

Questions about Elm Creek

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Elm Creek, NE a good place to live?

Elm Creek has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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What makes Elm Creek stand out

983 people, and everyone knows the way

160 years in pictures

Moving to Elm Creek: who provides what

The data

Elm Creek has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from hail