Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Friend’s average trip to work is 40 minutes, above both the Nebraska town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a higher share of children under 18 than Friend. Its National Register listings include Richard R. Kiddle House and Warren's Opera House. Friend has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Friend beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 555 in 1880, a peak of 1,347 in 1890, 954 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1886 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Friend, 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 Friend.
Most working residents leave Friend for work: only 13% work in town. Jobs based in Friend fell to 344 in 2023, 97 fewer than in 2013. 6.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Friend, below both Nebraska’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Friend | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 34% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Friend Public Schools. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friend Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 127 | A |
| Friend High SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 100 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
Friend has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 15° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Friend home is worth about $222,000, down 2.5% in a year, 20% below the Nebraska typical home. 85% of Friend households own their home.
| Friend | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $810 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Friend’s median age is 32.1 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Nebraska.
| Friend | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.1 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 19% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Friend | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.1% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.5% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 19.6% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.6% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.2% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.8% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.7% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.2% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Friend beats the Nebraska average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Friend.
| Friend | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Friend | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.2% | 77.5% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 86.2% | 83.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.3% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Friend; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Friend residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
Where Friend’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Friend.
City in Saline County, Nebraska, United States
Friend is a city in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 954.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Friend 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Anna Louise Strong and John L. Loos.
