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These Are The 10 Most Successful Cities In Nebraska

By Chris Kolmar
Jun. 27, 2016

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What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke?

Or is it something bigger–something wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Probably so.

But here at Zippia, we like things that we can neatly measure and then expound upon. So yes, with the Power of Math, we have determined the unarguable, totally objective 10 most successful cities in Nebraska. And here they are:

  1. Gretna
  2. Papillion
  3. La Vista
  4. Seward
  5. Holdrege
  6. Gering
  7. Sidney
  8. Plattsmouth
  9. Blair
  10. York

If you are trying to argue already with our unarguable list, keep reading. There’s a method to this madness.

For more NE reading, check out:

How We Determined The Most Successful Cities In Nebraska

The first thing that comes to most capitalist minds in terms of success is–money. After all, rich people must be successful, right?

Meh. Maybe. But we think there’s a bit more that goes into it than that. So we looked at this set of criteria from the 2010-2014 American Community Survey:

1. Gretna

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 5,416Median Income: $69,713
Poverty Level: 4.1%
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%

2. Papillion

Population: 21,100Median Income: $74,111
Poverty Level: 4.0%
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%

3. La Vista

Population: 17,125Median Income: $55,836
Poverty Level: 6.8%
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

4. Seward

Population: 7,050Median Income: $58,261
Poverty Level: 9.6%
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%

5. Holdrege

Population: 5,506Median Income: $45,227
Poverty Level: 6.1%
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%

6. Gering

Population: 8,463Median Income: $51,056
Poverty Level: 7.7%
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%

7. Sidney

Population: 6,801Median Income: $54,175
Poverty Level: 13.9%
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%

8. Plattsmouth

Population: 6,473Median Income: $50,893
Poverty Level: 8.4%
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%

9. Blair

Population: 7,990Median Income: $51,098
Poverty Level: 14.0%
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%

10. York

Population: 7,878Median Income: $48,622
Poverty Level: 11.4%
Unemployment Rate: 2.5%

Measuring Success

If you’re still looking at this post thinking, “Surely, such superficial methods can’t possibly measure a city, or rather, the individuals that make up that city’s success!” well, you’re probably right.

But we like to measure things, and when it comes to success, we feel pretty successful in our approach. Congrats to Gretna and our winners. And for those who didn’t make the cut, well, better luck next year.

Detailed List Of The Most Successful Cities In Nebraska

Rank City Median Income Poverty Rate Unemployment Rate
1 Gretna $69,713 4.1% 3.5%
2 Papillion $74,111 4.0% 4.4%
3 La Vista $55,836 6.8% 4.2%
4 Seward $58,261 9.6% 3.7%
5 Holdrege $45,227 6.1% 1.4%
6 Gering $51,056 7.7% 4.1%
7 Sidney $54,175 13.9% 2.3%
8 Plattsmouth $50,893 8.4% 4.0%
9 Blair $51,098 14.0% 2.0%
10 York $48,622 11.4% 2.5%
11 Ralston $49,119 7.2% 5.0%
12 Columbus $51,261 8.2% 5.8%
13 Bellevue $59,123 9.9% 7.9%
14 Fremont $47,239 12.4% 6.0%
15 McCook $41,560 9.5% 5.9%
16 Beatrice $40,750 12.2% 5.2%
17 North Platte $43,772 13.1% 5.4%
18 Lincoln $49,794 16.7% 6.3%
19 Kearney $48,433 17.5% 4.5%
20 Hastings $46,840 12.4% 7.3%
21 Omaha $48,751 15.4% 7.3%
22 Norfolk $43,266 16.8% 4.4%
23 Alliance $46,071 16.9% 5.3%
24 Grand Island $46,527 15.5% 7.0%
25 Nebraska City $44,838 14.1% 6.6%
26 Schuyler $49,771 15.7% 10.7%
27 Chadron $36,439 21.5% 3.1%
28 Lexington $44,966 15.9% 8.5%
29 Wayne $40,324 25.8% 6.4%
30 Scottsbluff $37,813 16.5% 9.0%
31 Crete $38,542 19.1% 7.2%
32 South Sioux City $40,975 18.9% 9.3%
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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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