Wayne County, Nebraska
Population 9,844 · Wayne, Winside, Wakefield
- 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.
- Median age: 30, lower than 99% 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 | $221,600 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Median rent | $800 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $145/mo | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $8,450/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.12% | higher than 72% 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 | $2,486 | higher than 75% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $66,215 | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -2.9% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 348.6 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈219 days | higher than 59% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 11°F | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 32 in | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 21 days | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 159 days | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 15.1% of weeks | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈59.9°F | lower than 69% 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 | 28.5 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $158/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $105/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.36/yr | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $29/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $4/yr | higher than 75% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.7 µg/m³ | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 397.1 mi | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈482.6 ft | higher than 54% 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 | 95.3% | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 30.4% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 10.9% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.3:1 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 89.8% | higher than 52% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.38 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.41 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.89 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 5.3 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 61/100k | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 3 | lower than 45% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 82.3 yrs | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.3% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 101/100k | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 51/100k | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 45.5% | lower than 77% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 61 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 123 min | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 13 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 90% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 14% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 116 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 40 per sq mi | higher than 70% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | ≈0.6 per 1k | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ From 2025 FBI reports by this county’s police and sheriff’s departments: County Health Rankings publishes no 2022 figure for it. | ||
| Property crime | 3 per 1k | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Population | 9,844 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Median age | 30 | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +0.7 per 1k/yr | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 24.7% Dem | lower than 60% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 73.9% Rep | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 85.4% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 10.3% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Black | 1% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.8% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.2% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0% | the lowest in the US |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 16 parks | lower than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.3 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.1 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 18 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 61 km | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 2 km | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 4 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 21 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| 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 | 7 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 4 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 19 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 7 km | lower than 52% 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