Buffalo County, Nebraska
Population 50,579 · Kearney, Gibbon, Ravenna
- Overall cost of living: −13.7% vs the US average, lower than 72% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Unemployment rate: 2.5%, lower than 95% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−13.7% | lower than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Nebraska outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $246,400 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Median rent | $936 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $146/mo | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,450/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.44% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 5.5% | lower than 57% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.84% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $3,555 | higher than 90% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $75,911 | higher than 75% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +5.7% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 467.5 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈232 days | higher than 79% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 15°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 22 in | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 31 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 157 days | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 20.7% of weeks | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈59.5°F | lower than 70% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 25.7 in | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $192/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $86/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.52/yr | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $28/yr | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $3/yr | higher than 72% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.4 µg/m³ | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 529.4 mi | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈539.8 ft | higher than 59% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 93.8% | higher than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 34.4% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 11.5% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.9:1 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 90.6% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.5 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.48 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.34 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 89/100k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 79.8 yrs | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 8.3% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 498/100k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 87/100k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 84.2% | higher than 82% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 28 min | lower than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 207 min | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 16 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 91.1% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.2% | higher than 45% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 4.7% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 166 min | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 72 per sq mi | higher than 90% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.9 per 1k | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 9.6 per 1k | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Population | 50,579 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Median age | 35.1 | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -0.2 per 1k/yr | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 26.9% Dem | lower than 54% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 71.8% Rep | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.3% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| % White | 83.8% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 10.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.8% | lower than 68% of US counties |
| % Asian | 1.6% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 2.4% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 59 parks | higher than 53% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 20.6 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 7.3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 16 min | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.7% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 11 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 31 km | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 22 km | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 16 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 5 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 27 km | higher than 64% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data