Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,169, laid out in 1868.
Wood River’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Gloe Brothers Service Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. Wood River has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Wood River beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Wood River | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7% | 12.4% |
Gloe Brothers Service StationIn 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 Wood River is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 481 in 1890, 1,172 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wood River, 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 Wood River.
Since 1982, Wood River has seen 2 flood insurance claims paid out. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 37% come from inland flooding and 31% from hail. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2019.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Wood River Rural Schools. 224 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood River Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 224 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NE on state tests and graduation
In Wood River, 16% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11% in Nebraska’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Employers in Wood River shed 38 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 309. 7.6% of Wood River working residents work locally. Only 4 of the 58 Nebraska towns we compare have a higher average commute than Wood River.
| Wood River | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.6% | 34% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The share of adults in Wood River who feel lonely: 29%. In Wood River, 17% of adults have been diagnosed with depression, below both Nebraska’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (23%).
| Wood River | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 18% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| What stands out | Wood River | NE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expect cold winters and warm summers in Wood River. Summer afternoons peak near 87° in July, and January nights bottom out around 14°; snowfall runs to about 29 inches a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
83% of households are owner-occupiers in Wood River. For Wood River, the going rate for rent is $811 a month.
| Wood River | Nebraska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $811 a month | $914 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Wood River
About 2 of every 100 Wood River residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Nebraska.
1,325 counted in 2010 and 1,172 in 2020; an estimated 1,169 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Village in Hall County, Nebraska, United States
Wood River is a city in southwestern Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,172 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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. The typical home is worth about $151,000, 46% below the Nebraska typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.