Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Norfolk is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 42nd among Nebraska's 57 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 64% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $59K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $258K, 3.9 years of the Norfolk area’s $66K median household income. 47% of working residents work locally in Norfolk, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 8%. Norfolk is home to Northeast Community College. Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 3 have a lower January low than Norfolk.
Where Norfolk beats most towns.
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Northeast Community College | 4,336 |
Census counts: 547 in 1880, 24,955 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1884 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Norfolk is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Norfolk, 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 Norfolk.
Norfolk is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of Nebraska, but it has seen reported crime rise by a fifth or more.
6.6 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Ta-Ha-Zouka Park, at 113 acres.
| Norfolk | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Skyview Park | 0.3 mi | 110 |
| 2. North Fork Whitewater Park | 0.3 mi | 67 |
| 3. Ta-Ha-Zouka Park | 0.1 mi | 113 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Norfolk Public Schools. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk Jr. High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 631 | C |
| Norfolk Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,359 | C |
| Westside Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 194 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Norfolk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Norfolk has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 12° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 8,628 U.S. towns with household incomes like Norfolk’s, it is healthier than 90%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of Norfolk adults have been diagnosed with depression. Norfolk tracks Nebraska closely on all 32 CDC measures. 75% of Norfolk adults had a checkup this year.
| Norfolk | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 76% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 12,699 working residents takes 13 minutes, against 19.2 across Nebraska.
Norfolk’s average trip to work is 13 minutes. The top destinations are Omaha (6%), Lincoln (3%) and Columbus (2%). 5.3% of workers work from home in Norfolk.
| Norfolk | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $70,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.3% | 5.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Norfolk home is worth about $258,000, up 3.4% in a year, 7% below the Nebraska typical home. The median rent in Norfolk is $875 a month.
| Norfolk | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $875 a month | $921 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes rose from 240 to 313 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Norfolk
About 6 of every 100 Norfolk residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
9 places in Norfolk on the National Register of Historic Places.
18 notable people were born in Norfolk.
City in Nebraska
Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles (182 km) northwest of Omaha and 76 miles southwest of Sioux City, Iowa, at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,955 at the 2020 census, making it the seventh-most populous city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the Norfolk Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Norfolk grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #42 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B for health, B− for safety 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 C+.
18 notable people were born here, including Thurl Ravenscroft and Doris Pawn.
