Scores by category

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

Safety90#1,536/15,637
Economy71#4,514/15,631
Housing69#4,658/14,977
Health83#2,586/15,609
Healthcare64#5,711/15,650
Environment67#5,040/15,453
Education95#828/15,649
Infrastructure55#7,104/15,650
Community87#2,006/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,943/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Loneliness · low28.5%
100/100Nebraska 29.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Math scores · high3.66
99/100Nebraska 3.16United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSeward County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Nebraska 6.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSeward County value
Violent crime rate · low50 /100k
98/100Nebraska 218 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSeward County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low99 min
96/100Nebraska 114 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSeward County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Nebraska 2.3 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSeward County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low25.0%
3/100Nebraska 47.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSeward County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Nebraska 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSeward County value
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
4/100Nebraska 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSeward County value
Traffic deaths · high28.3 /100k
9/100Nebraska 11.9 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataSeward County value
New business applications · low8.4 /1k
9/100Nebraska 11.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauSeward County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low2.2 /10k
14/100Nebraska 5.2 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSeward County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
7,176 (2015-2019) → 7,678 (2020-2024)
+7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
36.4% (2015-2019) → 47.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.3× (2015-2019) → 3.4× (2020-2024)
+46%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.1% (2015-2019) → 29.2% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
3.8% (2015-2019) → 8.2% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.9% (2015-2019) → 89.8% (2020-2024)
+3.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Seward, Nebraska improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Declined2

Price / income+1.1×2.3× → 3.4×
Rent / income+5.1 points24.1% → 29.2%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Seward, Nebraska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.1 min2015-2019	21.9 min2020-2024	+2.9 min	Within the margin of error	20%
Bachelor's degree or higher	38.1%2015-2019	38.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Broadband subscriptions	85.9%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Effective property tax rate	1.50%2015-2019	1.27%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
High school diploma or higher	94.9%2015-2019	96.5%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3832015-2019	0.3792020-2024	−0.003	Within the margin of error	54%
Median household income	$68,6422015-2019	$72,5642020-2024	+5.7%	Within the margin of error	12%
Poverty rate	7.8%2015-2019	9.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.1%2015-2019	29.2%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Declined	22%
Rent-burdened households	36.4%2015-2019	47.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.3%2015-2019	4.2%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“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 Seward, Nebraska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Seward, 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, Seward, Nebraska itself moved −13.3 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

7,678 residents (±19)

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 (−1.9 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

7,678 residents (±19)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

White93%7,154
Black0.6%†43
Hispanic or Latino4.3%328
Asian0.7%†57
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†4
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races1.2%†92

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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

4,342 residents (±152)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

No high school diploma3.5%†151
High school or GED26%1,135
Some college21%909
Associate degree11%473
Bachelor's degree24%1,028
Graduate degree15%646

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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

2,787 households (±146)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $25k16%†443
$25k–50k15%†417
$50k–75k21%591
$75k–100k13%353
$100k–150k20%570
$150k–200k9.9%†276
$200k or more4.9%†137

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−8.6 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

2,787 households (±146)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Own61%1,688
Rent39%1,099

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,086 households (±171)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $75025%†276
$750–1,00023%†255
$1,000–1,50029%†314

Home values

1,688 homes (±148)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $150k14%†237
$150k–250k38%641
$250k–400k34%577

Age of homes

2,997 homes (±114)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

2010 or later9.4%†282
2000–200915%452
1980–199922%652

Size of homes

2,997 homes (±114)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Studio2.4%†72
1 bedroom7.1%†213
2 bedrooms32%965

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

3,845 workers (±246)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Drive alone75%2,894
Carpool8.3%†318
Public transit0.0%0
Walk7.5%†290
Bike2.4%†93
Work from home6.2%†240
Other0.3%†10

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

3,605 workers (±241)

Seward, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under 15 min48%1,739
15–29 min19%678
30–44 min22%803

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 Lincoln, 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 Seward County, the county holding most of Seward's residents.

Seward County has 485 employer establishments, 274 for every 10,000 residents (1.10× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Nebraska's), with 5,434 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,877. The Census Bureau also counts 1,505 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 485; 1,505 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 274; US 248 · Nebraska 284
Paid employees: 5,434
Average annual pay: $46,877; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	57	32.2	2.08×More than typical	322	$59,289	94
Restaurants and other eating places	28	15.8	0.86×About typical	406	$17,034	5
Religious organizations	26	14.7	2.65×More than typical	162	$21,414	—
Construction of buildings	25	14.1	1.87×More than typical	90	$56,400	48
Ambulatory health care services	24	13.6	0.65×Fewer than typical	157	$69,503	40
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	18	10.2	3.23×More than typical	152	$63,770	14
Truck transportation	18	10.2	2.01×More than typical	137	$52,927	48
Services to buildings and dwellings	17	9.6	1.42×More than typical	86	$29,035	95
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	9	1.79×More than typical	52	$51,000	34
Insurance agencies and brokerages	16	9	2.06×More than typical	55	$67,527	32
Building equipment contractors	15	8.5	1.41×More than typical	77	$44,935	14
Lessors of real estate	13	7.3	0.60×Fewer than typical	15	$31,200	169

Rank places for an industry Open Seward County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 17,705 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

In FY2026, an estimated $24.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Seward, Nebraska: $3.14 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $24.1K; −53% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.14; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.9%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Energy$23.4K97%
Drug Enforcement Administration$7052.9%

Top recipients

HUGHES BROTHERS INC$23.4K97%
LEVRACK, LLC$7052.9%

Spending by fiscal year

19.4KFY2017
46.1KFY2018
32.5KFY2019
33.5KFY2020
11.9KFY2021
45.6KFY2022
33.2KFY2023
26.4K

Top industries (NAICS)

Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product manufacturing · 3212$16.6K69%
Steel product manufacturing from purchased steel · 3312$5,08521%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$1,6456.8%
Office furniture (including fixtures) manufacturing · 3372$7052.9%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Seward, Nebraska, so they do not add up across cities.

Seward, Nebraska's figures are part of those of Seward County, NE ($850.5K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.8% of that total.

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

See federal money in Seward 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.

Seward, 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.

Seward County95100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Lincoln, NE95

Other cities and towns in Seward 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

JSON · /api/v1/places/3144420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends