Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wayne grades B+ overall, 26th among Nebraska's 57 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 78% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $54K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. 51% of working residents work locally in Wayne, where Nebraska’s towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 8%. No town among the 57 in Nebraska we compare has a lower share of children under 18 than Wayne. Wayne is home to Wayne State College.
Where Wayne beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Nebraska), ordered by how far Wayne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,178 in 1890, 5,973 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wayne, 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 Wayne.
Wayne is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has home values climbing faster than Nebraska’s.
31.2% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.6% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 42.4% of households own their home, against 66.5% across Nebraska.
Adults 18 to 34 are 48% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 23% of residents (36% statewide). Among residents in Wayne, 12% are 65 or older. The town is growing: up 6% since 2020, to 6,338 residents (2025 estimate). Here, 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 35% in Nebraska as a whole.
| Wayne | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 23.2 years | 37.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 28% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
About 112 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.2 points). Across Nebraska, 49.7% of residents are women.
| Wayne | NE | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 11.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 36.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.1% | 13.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.8% | 11.1% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.7% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.5% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.2% | 7.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.7% | 25% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 21.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.5% | 11% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.7% | 22.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Two of its 6 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Wayne High School, with 323 students. The Wayne Community Schools runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 499 | A− |
| Wayne High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 323 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
1.4 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The density of trails in Wayne is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Wayne | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.1% | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bressler Park | 0.3 mi | 3 |
| 2. Sunnyview Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Swimming Pool Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Wayne’s property crime rate stands at 3.8 per 1,000 residents. In Wayne, the violent crime rate is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Wayne | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 8 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 7,018 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wayne’s, it is healthier than 96%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Among 57 Nebraska towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Wayne. Against the Nebraska average, Wayne comes out ahead on 7 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 8. For adults here, the share who binge drink is 24%.
| Wayne | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 29% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 76% | 79% |
| What stands out | Wayne | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.8% | 8.3% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 17.9% | 24% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.9% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
No town among the 57 in Nebraska we compare has a lower typical July afternoon high than Wayne. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 11° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 2,246 working residents takes 10.5 minutes, against 19.2 across Nebraska.
Only 4 of the 57 Nebraska towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Wayne. The town’s typical journey to work comes in at 11 minutes. It had 3,093 jobs in 2023, up 456 from 2013. The top destinations are Wakefield (6%), Norfolk (5%) and Omaha (5%).
| Wayne | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 11 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 15% | 5.4% | 11% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $70,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Home values rose 43% in five years, to about $242K, against 26% across Nebraska.
Homes in Wayne are typically worth about $242,000, up 6.7% in a year, 13% below the Nebraska typical home. The going rate for rent for Wayne comes to $792 a month.
| Wayne | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $792 a month | $921 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Compared with 61% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Wayne is higher. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Wayne after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2019. FEMA puts 37% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 24% to tornadoes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wayne
College town 31 of every 100 Wayne residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
4 places in Wayne on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Wayne.
City in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States
Wayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Wayne had a population of 5,973. It is the county seat of Wayne County and the home of Wayne State College.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Wayne grades B+ overall, better than 70% of U.S. towns and #26 of 57 in Nebraska. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Wayne reports less crime per resident than 78% of U.S. towns, an A− Safety Grade: 6 violent and 24 property crimes in 2025.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
6 notable people were born here, including Emily Kinney and Kirk Bovill.
