Freight Train in, 2010
Hershey’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005.
- 1890Hershey is settled
HersheyNE
A town of 617, settled in 1890.
Sutherland State Aid Bridge · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
Population
617
2025 Census estimate · −5.8% since 2020
Typical home
$280K
+7% in a year
Household income
$91K
median
Median age
41.8
years
Jobs based here
222
Balanced
Is Hershey a good place to live?
Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Hershey. Hershey has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
617 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Hershey: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hershey, and how to reach them.
PowerDawson Power District11.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVillage of Hershey water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Hershey’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Nebraska you can register online until 18 days before Election Day, in person until 11 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 18 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLincoln County ClerkLincoln County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code6914369143 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hershey.
Natural hazards
Top of a high hazard risk in Hershey: inland flooding
Hershey’s risk rating from FEMA is 73 of 100. It has had 2 paid flood insurance claims since 1995. 50% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hail at 16%.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHailTornadoes
2
paid flood claims since 1995
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Schools
The schools Hershey’s kids attend
Public schools: the Hershey Public Schools. Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Hershey teach 539 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 300 | B− |
| Hershey High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 239 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Hershey
Only 5 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a higher July high than Hershey. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 14° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
27″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–41°
Spring35–63°
Summer58–86°
Fall36–65°
Oct 9
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in three of Hershey’s working residents commute to North Platte
The middle household income in Hershey is $91,000. Most people who work leave Hershey to do it: just 7% work in town. The town had 222 jobs in 2023, up 37 from 2013. In Hershey, the average commute is 16 minutes, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 17 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
7%work in town
| Hershey | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.4% | 34% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Hershey7%
North Platte36%
Sutherland13%
Lincoln4%
Kearney3%
13 mi
median commute distance
222
jobs based in Hershey
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Hershey is
Hershey: 38% of adults have obesity, near the Nebraska town median (40%) and above the median of U.S. towns (35%). For adults here, the share who have been diagnosed with depression is 19%. In Hershey, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 29% feel lonely.
| Hershey | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Nebraska
0 better29 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Hershey | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 7.3% | 6.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.3% |
| More adults with arthritis | 26.9% | 24% |
Great Plains Health
12.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
Homes in Hershey are worth about $280K, by Zillow’s estimate
In Hershey, four in five households live in a home they own. Home values are up 7% over the year to September 2026. For Hershey, the typical rent is $783 a month.
$280KZillow home value
| Hershey | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $783 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Hershey$280K
Nebraska$278K
+7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 487 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | — | 11 |
| 2. Washington Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hershey
18pages on Hershey
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hershey
About 6 of every 100 Hershey residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
About Hershey
Village in Nebraska, United States
Hershey is a village in Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the North Platte, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Hershey had a population of 649.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,900 ft
- ZIP code
- 69143
Questions about Hershey
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hershey, NE a good place to live?
Hershey has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.