Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pender’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools, an A for cost of living, and an A− for walkability; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Only 5 of Nebraska’s 131 towns score lower on health. Pender has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Thurston County Courthouse and First Thurston County Courthouse. Pender has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Pender beats most towns.
First Thurston County CourthouseIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Pender is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 429 in 1890, 1,115 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pender, 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 Pender.
About one in 4 of Pender’s working residents works in town. Pender’s average trip to work is 27 minutes, above both the Nebraska town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Macy (8%), Blackbird Township (5%) and Omaha (4%).
| Pender | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 34% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
42% of Pender adults have high blood pressure, against 34% in Nebraska’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 14% of adults have diabetes in Pender. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Pender.
| Pender | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 31% | 36% |
| What stands out | Pender | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.7% | 77.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pender.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pender has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Only 2 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower July high than Pender.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Pender home is worth about $221,000, up 10.6% in a year, 21% below the Nebraska typical home. 79% of Pender households own their home.
| Pender | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $875 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Pender’s median age is 36 years. Pender has lost 2.5% of its people since 2020, down to 1,106 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Nebraska.
| Pender | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 36 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 28% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Pender | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.8% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.3% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.2% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.8% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.2% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pender Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Pender; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 Pender residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
1,002 counted in 2010 and 1,115 in 2020; an estimated 1,106 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Pender on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Pender.
Village in and county seat of Thurston County, Nebraska, United States
Pender is a village in and the county seat of Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. On March 22, 2016, the United States Supreme Court resolved a disagreement as to whether Pender is located on the Omaha Indian Reservation, holding unanimously that "the disputed land is within the reservation’s boundaries." The predominantly European-American population was 1,115 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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 A.
5 notable people were born here, including Maurice Pate and Monty Budwig.
