Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Kearney is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 32nd among Nebraska's 57 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 70% of Nebraska towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its police reported 80 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 67% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $319K, 4.2 years of the Kearney area’s $76K median household income. 61% of working residents work locally in Kearney, above both Nebraska’s towns (33%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Fort Kearney and George W. Frank House. Kearney is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Kearney beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,782 in 1880, a low of 1,782 in 1880, 33,790 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 4 maps from 1894 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Kearney is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kearney, 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 Kearney.
Kearney is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
8.2 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Meadowlark North Park, at 81 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Kearney | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Meadowlark North Park | 2.8 mi | 81 |
| 2. Ted Baldwin Park | 1.6 mi | 32 |
| 3. Buffalo County Fairgrounds | — | 59 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Kearney Public Schools. Three of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 648 | B+ |
| Kearney High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,663 | B− |
| Meadowlark Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 417 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,497 U.S. towns with household incomes like Kearney’s, it is healthier than 92%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of Kearney adults binge drink. Kearney beats the Nebraska average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 8.9% of Kearney adults have diabetes.
| Kearney | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 76% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Kearney | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.9% | 10.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.7% | 3.1% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 79.8% | 83.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 32% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (36% statewide). The median age in Kearney is 32.8 years. Kearney has grown 2.8% since 2020, to 34,782 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Kearney | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.8 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 28% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
50.5% women, 49.5% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±0.8 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.8, men 30.9.
| Kearney | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.6% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.3% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Reported crimes fell from 733 to 503 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Kearney reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 67% report less. Kearney’s violent crime rate is 2.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Kearney | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.1 per 1,000 residents | 7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Kearney has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 14° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, Kearney has added 1,316 jobs, to 19,395 in 2023. 4.5% of workers work from home in Kearney. The top destinations are Grand Island (5%), Lincoln (4%) and Omaha (3%).
| Kearney | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.5% | 5.6% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kearney.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026.
| Kearney | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $949 a month | $907 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 43% | 43% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Kearney. Close and well known come first.
6 mi LandmarkFort Kearny
in town MuseumMuseum of Nebraska Art
15 mi MuseumPioneer Village
34 mi MuseumHeartland Museum of Military VehiclesFort Kearny: Hanyou23, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Nebraska Art: Ammodramus, Public domain · Pioneer Village: Rolf Blauert Dk4hb, Public domain · Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles: en:User:Cburnett, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Kearney
About 14 of every 100 Kearney residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
15 places in Kearney on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Kearney.
City in the United States
Kearney ( KAR-nee) is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 33,790 in the 2020 census, making it the 5th most populous city in Nebraska. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birth to the community.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Kearney.
Glenwood isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Kearney with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kearney grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #32 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B+ 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 C+.
25 notable people were born here, including Peter George Peterson and Andy Pessoa.
