Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It counts 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
35% of residents are 65 or older in Nelson, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 18%. Of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare, none has a lower share of children under 18 than Nelson. Its National Register listings include Nuckolls County Courthouse and Nelson Cemetery Walk. Nelson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Nelson beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 196 in 1880, a peak of 978 in 1900, 456 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 3 maps from 1898 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nelson, 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 Nelson.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 4.6%. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Nelson.
| Nelson | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $666 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to the Lawrence - Nelson Public Schools. Public school enrollment here: 113 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence - Nelson Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 44 | – |
| Lawrence - Nelson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 69 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Nelson comes to 81 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 37% come from hail and 22% from drought. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Nelson once, in 2004.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical journey to work in Nelson is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Nelson has lost 149 jobs, to 155 in 2023. The share of working residents in Nelson who work locally: 12%. The top destinations are Superior (10%), Clay Center (7%) and Hastings (6%).
| Nelson | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 34% | 8% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For adults in Nelson, the share who had a checkup this year is 80%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Nelson is ahead of Nebraska on 10 and behind on 8. No town among the 58 in Nebraska we compare has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Nelson. In Nelson, 27% of adults feel lonely, and 28% sleep under 7 hours.
| Nelson | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Nelson | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 9.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 8.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Nelson; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Nelson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
2 places in Nelson on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Nebraska, United States
Nelson is a city in and the county seat of Nuckolls County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Nelson had a population of 456. The city was named from the middle name of one Horatio Nelson Wheeler, the original owner of the town site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nelson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. It counts 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
2 notable people were born here, including Ray Thomas and Robert D. Leigh.
