Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wauneta Roller Mills is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wauneta has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Wauneta beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 181 in 1900, a peak of 926 in 1950, 549 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and a map from 1974 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wauneta, 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 Wauneta.
The Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs school district runs its public schools. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. The 3 public schools in Wauneta teach 212 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wauneta-Palisade Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 95 | B− |
| Wauneta-Palisade High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 79 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
Values rose 7.6% in the 12 months to September 2026. 71% of Wauneta households are owner-occupiers.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The seasons in Wauneta: chilly winters, warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 16° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Wauneta rose by 25, to 259. Among 58 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a higher share of residents below the poverty line than Wauneta. Its average trip to work is 15 minutes, below both the Nebraska town median (17 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Just nearly a tenth of the town’s working residents have a job in town.
| Wauneta | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.4% | 34% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Wauneta once, in 2006. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 36% come from hail and 16% from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The share of adults in Wauneta who sleep under 7 hours: 28%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Wauneta is ahead of Nebraska on 2 and behind on 9. Of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who binge drink than Wauneta.
| Wauneta | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 31% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wauneta | NE |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.3% | 77.5% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 86.5% | 83.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.4% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Wauneta; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Wauneta residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
Village in Nebraska, United States
Wauneta is a village in Chase County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Wauneta had a population of 549. It lies along U.S. Route 6, southeast of the city of Imperial, the county seat of Chase County. Its elevation is 2,942 feet (897 m). Wauneta's ZIP code is 69045.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wauneta has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
