City · Cedar County, Nebraska

Laurel, Nebraska

Laurel is a city in Cedar County, Nebraska. It has 1,018 residents. Laurel, Nebraska has a quality-of-life score of 84 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,436 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Nebraska it ranks #47 of 119 cities and towns. It ranks best on grocery stores (high), violent crime rate (low) and property crime rate (low). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), public EV charging ports (low) and drought exposure (high).

84Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,436 of 15,651 cities and towns
Nebraska: #47 of 119 in NE
Population: 1,018 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 768.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 3126350

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety99#140/15,637
Economy28#11,245/15,631
Housing88#1,799/14,977
Health86#2,183/15,609
Healthcare20#12,574/15,650
Environment61#6,090/15,453
Education78#3,478/15,649
Infrastructure66#5,358/15,650
Community95#762/15,651
Leisure & amenities93#1,118/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Laurel, Nebraska ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cedar 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

Grocery stores · high6.0 /10k
100/100Nebraska 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCedar County value
Violent crime rate · low16 /100k
100/100Nebraska 218 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureCedar County value
Property crime rate · low140 /100k
100/100Nebraska 1,379 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureCedar County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Nebraska 15.8 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCedar County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Nebraska 10.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCedar County value
Loneliness · low29.5%
99/100Nebraska 29.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low12 /100k
0/100Nebraska 362 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCedar County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Nebraska 3.9 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyCedar County value
Drought exposure · high96%
4/100Nebraska 61%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAACedar County value
Distance to an emergency room · high18.0 mi
4/100Nebraska 5.1 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCedar County value
Average weekly wage · low$888
5/100Nebraska $1,213United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCedar County value
Job growth · low-3.6%
5/100Nebraska -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCedar County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,111 (2015-2019) → 1,018 (2020-2024)
−8.4%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.8× (2015-2019) → 2.8× (2020-2024)
+59%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
28.8% (2015-2019) → 38.3% (2020-2024)
+9.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
28.6% (2015-2019) → 37.7% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
15.0 min (2015-2019) → 21.4 min (2020-2024)
+43%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Poverty rateWorsening
11.4% (2015-2019) → 19.2% (2020-2024)
+7.8 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, Laurel, Nebraska improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved1

Bachelor's++9.5 points28.8% → 38.3%

Declined1

Price / income+1.0×1.8× → 2.8×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Laurel, Nebraska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.0 min2015-2019	21.4 min2020-2024	+6.4 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.8%2015-2019	38.3%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Improved	89%
Broadband subscriptions	91.0%2015-2019	92.5%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Effective property tax rate	1.31%2015-2019	1.08%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
High school diploma or higher	94.7%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.4402020-2024	+0.023	Within the margin of error	32%
Median household income	$50,0452015-2019	$58,5192020-2024	+17%	Within the margin of error	27%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.9%2015-2019	24.8%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	28.6%2015-2019	37.7%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.1%2015-2019	10.5%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	9%

“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 Laurel, Nebraska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Laurel, 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, Laurel, Nebraska itself moved −13 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

1,018 residents (±140)

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: Under 10 men (−5.1 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

1,018 residents (±140)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

White84%854
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino5.9%†60

Education

666 residents (±88)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

No high school diploma7.2%†48
High school or GED24%159
Some college19%†124

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

456 households (±60)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $25k18%†83
$25k–50k23%†107
$50k–75k20%†89
$75k–100k8.3%†38
$100k–150k19%†86
$150k–200k9.4%†43
$200k or more2.2%†10

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+9.1 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

456 households (±60)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Own66%303
Rent34%†153

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

146 households (±55)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $75032%†47
$750–1,00036%†52
$1,000–1,50032%†47

Home values

303 homes (±48)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $150k45%135
$150k–250k35%†105
$250k–400k18%†56

Age of homes

505 homes (±69)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

2010 or later2.8%†14
2000–20099.9%†50
1980–19998.7%†44

Size of homes

505 homes (±69)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom7.1%†36
2 bedrooms21%†104

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

593 workers (±103)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Drive alone83%491
Carpool8.8%†52
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.5%†15
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.9%†35
Other0.0%0

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

558 workers (±104)

Laurel, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under 15 min53%293
15–29 min18%†100
30–44 min10%†57

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

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 Cedar County, the county holding most of Laurel's residents.

Cedar County has 288 employer establishments, 349 for every 10,000 residents (1.40× the US rate of 248; 1.23× Nebraska's), with 1,873 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,540. The Census Bureau also counts 834 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 288; 834 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 349; US 248 · Nebraska 284
Paid employees: 1,873
Average annual pay: $41,540; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	23	27.9	1.80×More than typical	83	$47,880	80
Truck transportation	23	27.9	5.51×More than typical	94	$41,255	62
Construction of buildings	18	21.8	2.88×More than typical	70	$48,771	29
Banks and credit unions	12	14.5	4.50×More than typical	98	$71,194	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	12	14.5	3.31×More than typical	30	$48,100	34
Religious organizations	11	13.3	2.40×More than typical	75	$19,187	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	10	12.1	2.40×More than typical	53	$50,566	17
Restaurants and other eating places	10	12.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	73	$10,274	8
Services to buildings and dwellings	10	12.1	1.80×More than typical	22	$41,273	58
Gasoline stations	9	10.9	3.36×Too few to compare	79	$22,620	—
Landscaping services	9	10.9	3.11×Too few to compare	20	$43,150	24
Ambulatory health care services	8	9.7	0.46×Too few to compare	41	$63,780	16

Rank places for an industry Open Cedar County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,258 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: Laurel is mostly in Cedar County.

See federal money in Cedar 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.

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

House

Adrian SmithR-NE-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.6%

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.

Cedar County92100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Cedar 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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