Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,698, settled in 1868.
Ogallala gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $230K, 3.8 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades B− overall, 35th of 57 graded towns in Nebraska. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. 53% of working residents work locally in Ogallala, above both the Nebraska town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 8 of Nebraska’s 133 towns score higher on hazard risk. Ogallala has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Leonidas A. Brandhoefer Mansion and US Post Office-Ogallala.
Where Ogallala beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Ogallala is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 114 in 1880, 4,878 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 4 maps from 1897 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ogallala, 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 Ogallala.
Ogallala carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Nebraska (mostly inland flooding), is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 95% of Nebraska towns, with expected losses of about $119 per resident a year; that rating is what its B+ for hazard risk is built on.
Ogallala has had 2 paid flood insurance claims since 1980. For Ogallala, the FEMA hazard score is 25 of 100. A third of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 15%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Ogallala Public Schools. Public school enrollment locally: 766 students across 3 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie View SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 371 | B− |
| Ogallala High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 237 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Only 2 of the 57 Nebraska towns we compare have a higher midpoint age than Ogallala. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Ogallala at 4,698 residents, down 3.6% since 2020. Nebraska has just over a third of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 25%.
| Ogallala | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.1 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 28% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 66% are women (NE 49%).
| Ogallala | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.6% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.3% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.7% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.3% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.6% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,700, single groups can be off by several points
Summer afternoons peak near 89° in July, and January nights bottom out around 16°; snowfall runs to about 25 inches a winter. Ogallala has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Zillow values the typical Ogallala home at about $230,000, up 6.5% in a year, 17% below the Nebraska typical home. Among households locally, 68% own their home.
| Ogallala | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $667 a month | $921 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 2,027 working residents takes 13 minutes, against 19.2 across Nebraska.
Jobs based in Ogallala fell to 2,251 in 2023, 237 fewer than in 2013. The average commute for Ogallala comes to 13 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 2 miles away. The top destinations are North Platte (7%), Grant (4%) and Omaha (3%).
| Ogallala | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $70,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,524 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ogallala’s, it is healthier than 83%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
36% of adults have high blood pressure in Ogallala. Of 32 CDC measures, Ogallala beats the Nebraska average on 1 and trails it on 7. In Ogallala, 16% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, and 14% report frequent mental distress.
| Ogallala | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ogallala | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.3% | 77.5% |
| More adults who get no exercise | 31.2% | 24.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ogallala Nature Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Humphery's Pond | — | 8 |
| 3. Collister Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 79 to 53 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Ogallala’s violent crime rate is 0.4 per 1,000 residents. The property crime rate locally is 10.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Ogallala | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.8 per 1,000 residents | 7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Ogallala; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Ogallala residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
5 places in Ogallala on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Ogallala.
City in Nebraska, United States
Ogallala is a city in and the county seat of Keith County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,878 at the 2020 census, up from 4,737 at the 2010 census. In the days of the Nebraska Territory, the city was a stop on the Pony Express and later along the transcontinental railroad. The Ogallala Formation that carries the Ogallala Aquifer was named after the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ogallala grades B− overall, better than 49% of U.S. towns and #35 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
3 notable people were born here, including James Theodore Richmond and Jacie Hoyt.
