Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gering is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, ranked 44th of 57 in Nebraska, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $75K. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 73% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $214K, 3.4 years of the Scottsbluff area’s $64K median household income. Gering is home to Summit Christian College. Gering’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, below both Nebraska’s towns (17 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Gering has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gering Courier Building and Scotts Bluff County Courthouse.
Where Gering beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Summit Christian College | 16 |
Severin Sorensen HouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Gering is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 433 in 1900, 8,564 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 4 maps from 1898 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gering, 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 Gering.
4.0 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The trail density in Gering is 0.7 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Oregon Trail Park, at 72 acres.
| Gering | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oregon Trail Park | 0.1 mi | 72 |
| 2. McLellan Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Northfield Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Gering Public Schools. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gering High School, with 546 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gering Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 408 | C− |
| Gering High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 546 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Gering home is worth about $214,000, up 2.3% in a year, 23% below the Nebraska typical home. Gering’s median rent is $823 a month.
| Gering | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $823 a month | $921 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gering has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 2 have a higher July high than Gering.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of Gering’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Scottsbluff (44%), O'Neill (2%) and Omaha (2%). Half commute less than 3 miles.
| Gering | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 35% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gering's reported crime rate is well below Nebraska's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 9 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Gering | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Nebraska average. 26% of residents are under 18 in Gering. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Nebraska.
| Gering | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.8 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 28% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Gering | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.9% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.2% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.6% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.4% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.6% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Gering beats the Nebraska average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 18% of Gering adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Gering | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 9.7% | 8.1% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 31% | 36% |
| What stands out | Gering | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.3% | 12.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gering. Close and well known come first.
in town National MonumentScotts Bluff National Monument182K visitors a year
18 mi LandmarkChimney Rock National Historic Site
in town GardenNorthfield Park ArboretumScotts Bluff National Monument: © 2004 Matthew Trump, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chimney Rock National Historic Site: Mike Tigas from Columbia, MO, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Northfield Park Arboretum: Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Gering
About 6 of every 100 Gering residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
3 places in Gering on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in and county seat of Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States
Gering is a city in and the county seat of Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States, in the Panhandle region of the state. The population was 8,564 at the 2020 census, making it the 17th most populous city in Nebraska.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Gering.
| Town | NE rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gering | #44 | C+ | B− | — | C | B− |
| Terrytown | — | — | A− | — | C | B+ |
| Scottsbluff | #56 | D | B− | D | C | C+ |
Terrytown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Gering and Terrytown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gering with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gering grades C+ overall, better than 35% of U.S. towns and #44 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B− for health and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
