City · Wayne County, Nebraska

Wayne, Nebraska

Wayne is a city in Wayne County, Nebraska. It has 6,121 residents. Wayne, Nebraska has a quality-of-life score of 62 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,974 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Nebraska it ranks #102 of 119 cities and towns. It ranks best on injury deaths (low), average commute time (low) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), gyms and fitness centers (low) and average weekly wage (low).

62High

Quality-of-life score: #5,974 of 15,651 cities and towns
Nebraska: #102 of 119 in NE
Population: 6,121 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 2,106.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 3151840

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety94#901/15,637
Economy12#13,801/15,631
Housing62#5,735/14,977
Health73#4,227/15,609
Healthcare57#6,736/15,650
Environment85#2,342/15,453
Education52#7,524/15,649
Infrastructure42#9,007/15,650
Community55#6,981/15,651
Leisure & amenities31#10,747/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Injury deaths · low35 /100k
100/100Nebraska 66 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value
Average commute time · low10.5 min
100/100Nebraska 19.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Nebraska 6.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWayne County value
Loneliness · low31.3%
98/100Nebraska 29.8%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Public libraries · high3.0 /10k
96/100Nebraska 1.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWayne County value
Life expectancy · high82.3 yrs
96/100Nebraska 78.4 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low6.0 /1k
1/100Nebraska 11.3 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWayne County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Nebraska 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value
Average weekly wage · low$887
5/100Nebraska $1,213United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low45.5%
8/100Nebraska 84.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value
Adult obesity · high43.2%
9/100Nebraska 39.8%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low2.0 /10k
11/100Nebraska 5.2 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,557 (2015-2019) → 6,121 (2020-2024)
+10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent as share of incomeImproving
40.4% (2015-2019) → 30.5% (2020-2024)
−9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
New homes permittedImproving
1.5 /1k (2021) → 2.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+38%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$40,339 (2015-2019) → $53,702 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeImproving
15.0 min (2015-2019) → 10.5 min (2020-2024)
−30%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.3× (2015-2019) → 4.3× (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Wayne, Nebraska improved on 1 of 14 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.

Improved1

Household income+33%$40,339 → $53,702

Declined2

Uninsured+4.4 points4.4% → 8.8%
Price / income+1.0×3.3× → 4.3×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Wayne, Nebraska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.0 min2015-2019	10.5 min2020-2024	−4.5 min	Within the margin of error	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	39.6%2015-2019	35.6%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Broadband subscriptions	89.2%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Effective property tax rate	1.52%2015-2019	1.18%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	79%
High school diploma or higher	95.0%2015-2019	94.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	4.3×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	24%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5022015-2019	0.4822020-2024	−0.020	Within the margin of error	68%
Median household income	$40,3392015-2019	$53,7022020-2024	+33%	Improved	62%
Poverty rate	18.9%2015-2019	19.9%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	40.4%2015-2019	30.5%2020-2024	−9.9 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Rent-burdened households	56.0%2015-2019	50.9%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Unemployment rate	3.2%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.4%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Declined	13%

“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 Wayne, Nebraska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wayne, 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, Wayne, Nebraska itself moved +1.2 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

6,121 residents (±18)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

2,182 households (±112)

Wayne, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $25k29%†634
$25k–50k16%†351
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,182 households (±112)

Wayne, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Own42%926
Rent58%1,256

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−10.6 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,118 workers (±257)

Wayne, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Drive alone70%2,174
Carpool3.0%†92
Public transit0.0%0

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 Wayne County, the county holding most of Wayne's residents.

Wayne County has 252 employer establishments, 254 for every 10,000 residents (1.02× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Nebraska's), with 3,382 paid employees at an average annual pay of $35,325. The Census Bureau also counts 657 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 252; 657 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 254; US 248 · Nebraska 284
Paid employees: 3,382
Average annual pay: $35,325; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	19	19.1	1.04×About typical	255	$16,624	3
Specialty trade contractors	18	18.1	1.17×About typical	49	$46,000	55
Truck transportation	15	15.1	2.99×More than typical	76	$37,961	36
Construction of buildings	12	12.1	1.60×More than typical	42	$44,667	26
Ambulatory health care services	11	11.1	0.53×Fewer than typical	85	$80,106	22
Limited-service restaurants	11	11.1	1.38×More than typical	184	$16,734	—
Religious organizations	10	10.1	1.81×More than typical	82	$19,037	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	9.1	1.80×Too few to compare	40	$31,925	19
Banks and credit unions	9	9.1	2.80×Too few to compare	112	$51,295	—
Building equipment contractors	8	8.1	1.34×Too few to compare	17	$49,765	10
Lessors of real estate	8	8.1	0.65×Too few to compare	20	$39,550	93
Insurance agencies and brokerages	7	7	1.60×Too few to compare	35	$75,200	13

Rank places for an industry Open Wayne County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,933 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 $4,357 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Wayne, Nebraska: $0.71 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,357; −66% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.71; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 16%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$4,357100%

Top recipients

CONCORD COMPONENTS INC$4,357100%

Spending by fiscal year

20KFY2017
17.7KFY2018
25.8KFY2019
3.6KFY2020
8.2KFY2021
6.7KFY2022
18.3KFY2023
32.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$2,62060%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353$1,39332%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$1503.4%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$1303.0%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$1222.8%
Forging and stamping · 3321$117

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 Wayne, Nebraska, so they do not add up across cities.

Wayne, Nebraska's figures are part of those of Wayne County, NE ($1.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Wayne 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.

Wayne, 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.

Wayne County82100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Wayne 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/3151840

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends