Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,892, settled in 1867. Public schools that outperform most of Nebraska.
Seward is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 4th among Nebraska's 57 graded towns. Its schools outperform 96% of the state's, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country, and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. Seward is home to Concordia University-Nebraska. Seward's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 87% of U.S. towns. Seward has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them John Cattle Jr. House and Seward County Courthouse.
Where Seward beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Seward Elementary School | PK–4 | 558 |
| St. John Lutheran School | K–8 | 182 |
| St. Vincent Depaul School | PK–6 | 50 |
| Widest gap | Seward | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Seward is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,525 in 1880, 7,643 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1885 and 2 maps from 1939 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Seward, 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 Seward.
Seward has schools in the top 5% of Nebraska and sees little violent crime.
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 57 Nebraska towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Seward Public Schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seward Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 558 | A |
| Seward High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 511 | A |
| Seward Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 416 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
26% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Seward, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 36%. 21% of adults binge drink in Seward. Of the 57 Nebraska towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have obesity than Seward.
| Seward | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 31% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 76% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Seward | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.4% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 9.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Among 45 Nebraska towns, just 2 have a lower violent crime rate than Seward.
| Seward | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Seward.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Seward has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 14° and about 22 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 30% of residents (36% statewide). At 32 years, Seward’s median age is below both Nebraska’s towns (37.8 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). 39% of Seward adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Seward | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 28% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Seward | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.5% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 20.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.3% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.7% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.1% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.7% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.9% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
About one in 3 of Seward’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Seward is 22 minutes. Jobs based in Seward fell to 3,105 in 2023, 260 fewer than in 2013.
| Seward | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 35% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.2% | 5.4% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Seward home is worth about $315,000, up 6.4% in a year, 13% above the Nebraska typical home.
| Seward | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,018 a month | $907 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Plum Creek Park, at 67 acres. Seward’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Seward | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plum Creek Park | 0.4 mi | 67 |
| 2. Moffit Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Karol Kay Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Seward
College town 16 of every 100 Seward residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
5 places in Seward on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Seward.
City in and county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States
Seward is a city in and the county seat of Seward County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,643 at the 2020 census. Seward is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska, metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Seward grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #4 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades A for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
9 notable people were born here, including Qveen Herby and Jackson B. Chase.
