City · Madison County, Nebraska

Battle Creek, Nebraska

Battle Creek is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, part of the Norfolk, NE metro area. It has 1,456 residents. Battle Creek, Nebraska has a quality-of-life score of 93 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,153 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Nebraska it ranks #16 of 119 cities and towns. It ranks best on high school diploma or higher (high), dentists (high) and loneliness (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

93Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,153 of 15,651 cities and towns
Nebraska: #16 of 119 in NE
Population: 1,456 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,063.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 3103250

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety74#4,001/15,637
Economy74#4,010/15,631
Housing91#1,331/14,977
Health72#4,320/15,609
Healthcare72#4,311/15,650
Environment87#1,991/15,453
Education74#4,041/15,649
Infrastructure63#5,796/15,650
Community89#1,700/15,651
Leisure & amenities79#3,275/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Battle Creek, Nebraska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Madison County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

High school diploma or higher · high97.4%
99/100Nebraska 92.2%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Dentists · high132 /100k
99/100Nebraska 84 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value
Loneliness · low29.9%
99/100Nebraska 29.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Time spent in the emergency room · low101 min
96/100Nebraska 114 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMadison County value
Mental health providers · high675 /100k
96/100Nebraska 362 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMadison County value
Drug overdose deaths · low5.4 /100k
96/100Nebraska 6.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataMadison County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.8 /1k
6/100Nebraska 11.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauMadison County value
Distance to an airport · high95 mi
11/100Nebraska 65 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMadison County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high91 mi
11/100Nebraska 29 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMadison County value
Job growth · low-1.4%
20/100Nebraska -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMadison County value
Natural hazard risk · high76.2
22/100Nebraska 52.42025Federal Emergency Management AgencyMadison County value
Mental health care shortage · high17.0
24/100Nebraska 7.2United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMadison County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,215 (2015-2019) → 1,456 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
24.0% (2015-2019) → 4.2% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.7% (2015-2019) → 91.0% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$73,594 (2015-2019) → $95,536 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
24.7% (2015-2019) → 19.1% (2020-2024)
−5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
12.2% (2015-2019) → 6.7% (2020-2024)
−5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Battle Creek, Nebraska improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Battle Creek, Nebraska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.0 min2015-2019	22.2 min2020-2024	+1.2 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.0%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Broadband subscriptions	82.7%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Effective property tax rate	1.14%2015-2019	1.33%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
High school diploma or higher	94.1%2015-2019	97.4%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3172015-2019	0.3552020-2024	+0.039	Within the margin of error	22%
Median household income	$73,5942015-2019	$95,5362020-2024	+30%	Within the margin of error	55%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.7%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.4%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	12%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Battle Creek, Nebraska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Battle Creek, Nebraska in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Battle Creek, Nebraska itself moved −0.7 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,456 residents (±294)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 women (+3.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,456 residents (±294)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

White95%1,378
Black0.4%†6
Hispanic or Latino1.4%†21

Education

908 residents (±159)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

No high school diploma2.6%†24
High school or GED29%†259
Some college17%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

522 households (±89)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $25k8.2%†43
$25k–50k23%†118
$50k–75k12%†64
$75k–100k11%†55
$100k–150k21%†111
$150k–200k22%†116
$200k or more2.9%†15

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+20.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

522 households (±89)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Own82%428
Rent18%†94

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

94 households (±31)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $75032%†30
$750–1,00020%†19
$1,000–1,50044%†41

Home values

428 homes (±88)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $150k30%†129
$150k–250k29%†126
$250k–400k35%†150

Age of homes

541 homes (±91)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

2010 or later3.7%†20
2000–20095.5%†30
1980–199921%†113

Size of homes

541 homes (±91)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.7%†4
2 bedrooms25%†134

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

644 workers (±135)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Drive alone89%571
Carpool5.3%†34
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†5
Bike0.3%†2
Work from home3.1%†20
Other1.9%†12

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

624 workers (±135)

Battle Creek, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under 15 min29%182
15–29 min50%315
30–44 min16%†101

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Norfolk, NE

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Madison County, the county holding most of Battle Creek's residents.

Madison County has 1,232 employer establishments, 344 for every 10,000 residents (1.38× the US rate of 248; 1.21× Nebraska's), with 19,641 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,245. The Census Bureau also counts 3,088 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,232; 3,088 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 344; US 248 · Nebraska 284
Paid employees: 19,641
Average annual pay: $50,245; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Madison County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	104	29	1.39×More than typical	1,367	$81,409	96
Specialty trade contractors	85	23.7	1.53×More than typical	517	$59,528	224
Restaurants and other eating places	69	19.3	1.05×About typical	1,395	$19,908	15
Lessors of real estate	50	14	1.13×About typical	125	$33,376	427
Insurance agencies and brokerages	43	12	2.73×More than typical	129	$51,155	62
Automotive repair and maintenance	41	11.4	2.27×More than typical	237	$38,949	51
Truck transportation	41	11.4	2.26×More than typical	239	$75,833	156
Building equipment contractors	39	10.9	1.81×More than typical	301	$60,751	33
Construction of buildings	39	10.9	1.44×More than typical	177	$70,514	107
Limited-service restaurants	36	10	1.25×More than typical	674	$20,129	7
Offices of other health practitioners	36	10	1.65×More than typical	229	$46,354	39
Religious organizations	35	9.8	1.76×More than typical	408	$25,966	—

Rank places for an industry Open Madison County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 35,841 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Battle Creek is mostly in Madison County.

See federal money in Madison County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Battle Creek, Nebraska is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Mike FloodR-NE-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 0.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Madison County90100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Norfolk, NE92

Other cities and towns in Madison County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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