Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,259, founded in 1899.
Scottsbluff earns a D, better than 12% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 103 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 73% of U.S. towns. 51% of working residents work locally in Scottsbluff, against 33% in Nebraska’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Of the 45 Nebraska towns we compare, none has a higher rate of reported violence than Scottsbluff. Scottsbluff is home to Western Nebraska Community College.
Where Scottsbluff beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,746 in 1910, 14,436 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 4 maps from 1898 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 Scottsbluff is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Scottsbluff, 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 Scottsbluff.
Scottsbluff draws workers from Gering and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Nebraska rate.
9,277 jobs are based in Scottsbluff, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 12.5 minutes, against 19.2 across Nebraska.
The top destinations are Gering (13%), O'Neill (3%) and Omaha (2%). In Scottsbluff, 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in the town fell to 9,277 in 2023, 1,112 fewer than in 2013. For Scottsbluff, the median household income is $56,000.
| Scottsbluff | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $70,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 5.4% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools: the Scottsbluff Public Schools. Of its 16 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The 4 public schools in Scottsbluff teach 1,346 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffs Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 754 | C |
| Scottsbluff Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,064 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 6.7 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Nebraska rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 30.6 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Nebraska rate, most of it theft.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes sold in Scottsbluff spent a median 56 days on the market. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 3.4%. For households in the town, the share who own their home is 59%.
| Scottsbluff | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $966 a month | $907 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Nearly two fifths of Scottsbluff’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hail, followed by inland flooding at 27%. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1983: 23.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,836 U.S. towns with household incomes like Scottsbluff’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults 18 to 64 in Scottsbluff, 15% have no health insurance. Only 2 of the 57 Nebraska towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Scottsbluff. Two figures for adults in the town: 31% get no exercise outside work, 19% worry about having enough food.
| Scottsbluff | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 9.7% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Scottsbluff | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.9% | 12.3% |
| More uninsured adults | 14.8% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 13.1% | 9.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are just over a fifth of residents (17% statewide). Four-year graduates: just over a quarter of adults 25 and older here, 35% across Nebraska. Scottsbluff: 24% of residents are under 18.
| Scottsbluff | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.8 years | 37.5 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.9 points). Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Scottsbluff | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.3% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.9% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.3% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.6% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.7% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Trails total 1.5 miles in 20 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Riverside Park, at 185 acres. For Scottsbluff, the trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Scottsbluff | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Riverside Park | 0.6 mi | 185 |
| 2. Landers Memorial Soccer Complex | — | 43 |
| 3. Cleavland Athletic Field | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Scottsbluff. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National MonumentScotts Bluff National Monument182K visitors a year
20 mi LandmarkChimney Rock National Historic Site
37 mi National MonumentAgate Fossil Beds National Monument17K visitors a year
2 mi GardenNorthfield Park ArboretumScotts Bluff National Monument: © 2004 Matthew Trump, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chimney Rock National Historic Site: Mike Tigas from Columbia, MO, United States, CC BY 2.0 · Agate Fossil Beds National Monument: The original uploader was Urban at French Wikipedia., Public domain · Northfield Park Arboretum: Xnatedawgx, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Scottsbluff
About 6 of every 100 Scottsbluff residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Nebraska.
9 places in Scottsbluff on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Scottsbluff.
City in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States
Scottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States, in the Great Plains region. The population was 14,436 at the 2020 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th-most-populous city in Nebraska. Scottsbluff was founded in 1899 across the North Platte River from its namesake, a bluff that is now protected by the National Park Service as Scotts Bluff National Monument. The monument was named after Hiram Scott, a fur trader with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company who was found dead in the vicinity on the return trip from a fur expedition. The smaller town of Gering had been founded south of the river in 1887. The two cities have since grown tog…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Scottsbluff.
| Town | NE rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottsbluff | #56 | D | B− | D | C | C+ |
| Gering | #44 | C+ | B− | — | C | B− |
| Terrytown | — | — | A− | — | C | B+ |
Terrytown has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Gering and Terrytown report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Scottsbluff with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Scottsbluff grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($63,838 across the Scottsbluff, NE 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−.
21 notable people were born here, including Randy Meisner and Adrian Smith.
