Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 615, settled in 1885.
Of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare, none has a higher share of residents 65 or older than Elwood. Gosper County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. Elwood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 373 in 1890, 658 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elwood, 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 Elwood.
Only 5 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Elwood. The median rent for Elwood comes to $750 a month, below both the Nebraska town median ($914 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.5%.
| Elwood | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $750 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Elwood Public Schools. The 2 public schools in Elwood teach 204 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elwood Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 115 | C |
| Elwood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 89 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Nebraska has just over a third of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 26%. No town among the 58 in Nebraska we compare has a lower share of children under 18 than Elwood. 615 people lived in Elwood by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 6.5% fewer than in 2020. Also worth knowing: people 65 and older are 27% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (23% statewide).
| Elwood | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.1 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 28% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.9 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Elwood | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.3% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.4% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.5% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.4% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 20.2% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.7% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.5% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.9% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.1% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
In Elwood, the risk rating from FEMA is 69 of 100. FEMA puts 43% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hail, and 28% to drought. Federal aid has come to Elwood households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 87° and January nights of 15°, with about 25 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Commuting out is the norm in Elwood: 15% of working residents work locally. The town’s typical journey to work comes in at 22 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 17 miles. The share of residents in Elwood who live below the poverty line is 8.4%, against 11% in Nebraska’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| Elwood | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 34% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
On the CDC’s 32 measures, Elwood is ahead of Nebraska on 7 and behind on 8. Elwood: 27% of adults feel lonely. No town among the 58 in Nebraska we compare has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Elwood.
| Elwood | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 31% | 36% |
| What stands out | Elwood | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.3% | 9.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.9% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Elwood; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Elwood residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
Village in Nebraska, United States
Elwood is a village in and the county seat of Gosper County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Elwood had a population of 658.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Elwood has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.