Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.

Safety92#249/3,096
Economy67#1,033/3,143
Housing90#327/3,140
Health80#629/3,144
Healthcare95#173/3,143
Environment74#819/3,108
Education72#888/3,144
Infrastructure45#1,719/3,144
Community98#53/3,144
Leisure & amenities30#2,213/3,143

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Valley County, Nebraska ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Pharmacies · high7.3 /10k
100/100Nebraska 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Rent as share of income · low17.3%
100/100Nebraska 27.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Distance to an emergency room · low2.3 mi
98/100Nebraska 5.1 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
98/100Nebraska 6.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
Traffic deaths · low4.9 /100k
97/100Nebraska 11.9 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional data
Rent-burdened households · low18.5%
97/100Nebraska 45.0%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Natural hazard risk · high92.5
6/100Nebraska 52.42025Federal Emergency Management Agency
Distance to an airport · high159 mi
7/100Nebraska 65 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
12/100Nebraska 0.5%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Adult obesity · high42.2%
14/100Nebraska 39.8%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
15/100Nebraska 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Restaurants and bars · low4.9 /10k
18/100Nebraska 9.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
23% (2021) → 60% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+37 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Violent crime rateWorsening
74 /100k (2017) → 205 /100k (2022)
+177%5 yearsUS 387 /100k → 390 /100k
Premature deathWorsening
4,377 /100k (2018-2020) → 9,217 /100k (2021-2023)
+111%3 yearsUS 7,282 /100k → 8,123 /100k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
8.0 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
36.9% (2015-2019) → 18.6% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedImproving
1.5 /1k (2021) → 2.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+82%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Valley County, Nebraska improved on 7 of 26 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 16 moved within the margin of error and 3 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among counties: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved7

Rent burden−18 points36.9% → 18.6%
Rent / income−7.3 points24.6% → 17.3%
Household income+41%$47,981 → $67,775
Real income+40%$59,210 → $82,717
Students / teacher−1.2×11.6× → 10.4×

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 26 measures

Change of every measure of Valley County, Nebraska between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.5 /10k2020	2.4 /10k2025	−0.9%	Within the margin of error	34%
Average commute time	16.1 min2015-2019	18.0 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Within the margin of error	23%
Average weekly wage	$7472020	$9112025	+22%	Improved	36%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.2%2015-2019	25.3%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Broadband subscriptions	73.7%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+9.5 points	Improved	46%
Child poverty rate	13.8%2019	14.1%2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Distance to an airport	159 mi2020	159 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Effective property tax rate	1.44%2015-2019	1.05%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Grocery stores	7.4 /10k2020	4.9 /10k2025	−34%	Within the margin of error	9%
High school diploma or higher	92.3%2015-2019	95.1%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	37%
Income adjusted for local prices	$59,2102019	$82,7172024	+40%	Improved	85%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4332015-2019	0.4472020-2024	+0.014	Within the margin of error	30%
Median household income	$47,9812019	$67,7752024	+41%	Improved	96%
New business applications	9.4 /1k2020	9.5 /1k2025	+1.7%	Little change	10%
Pharmacies	7.4 /10k2020	7.3 /10k2025	−0.9%	Within the margin of error	64%
Poverty rate	10.4%2019	10.8%2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Public libraries	7.3 /10k2019	7.4 /10k2024	+1.3%	Within the margin of error	65%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent as share of income	24.6%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−7.3 points	Improved	96%
Rent-burdened households	36.9%2015-2019	18.6%2020-2024	−18 points	Improved	97%
Restaurants and bars	7.4 /10k2020	4.9 /10k2025	−34%	Within the margin of error	6%
Students per teacher	11.6×2019	10.4×2024	−1.2×	Improved	68%
Traffic deaths	14.4 /100k2015-2019	4.9 /100k2020-2024	−66%	Within the margin of error	98%
Unemployment rate	2.7%2020	2.6%2025	−0.1 points	Little change	3%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.2%2019	10.0%2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 3114 counties that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Small Area Health Insurance Estimates; Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates; Public Libraries Survey; Common Core of Data; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 3144 counties 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.

Counties like Valley County, Nebraska five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Valley County, 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, Valley County, Nebraska itself moved −0.5 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

4,066 residents (±95)

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

1,796 households (±107)

Valley County, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Under $25k15%269
$25k–50k17%311
$50k–75k27%479

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,796 households (±107)

Valley County, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Own74%1,325
Rent26%471

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,059 workers (±121)

Valley County, Nebraska
Nebraska share

Drive alone83%1,703
Carpool8.6%†177
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.

Valley County has 181 employer establishments, 449 for every 10,000 residents (1.81× the US rate of 248; 1.58× Nebraska's), with 1,230 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,739. The Census Bureau also counts 461 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 181; 461 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 449; US 248 · Nebraska 284
Paid employees: 1,230
Average annual pay: $43,739; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	19	47.1	3.04×More than typical	52	$42,212	49
Truck transportation	11	27.3	5.39×More than typical	18	$52,778	24
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	22.3	4.43×Too few to compare	20	$41,150	13
Ambulatory health care services	8	19.8	0.95×Too few to compare	35	$41,314	11
Construction of buildings	8	19.8	2.62×Too few to compare	37	$52,297	12
Insurance agencies and brokerages	8	19.8	4.52×Too few to compare	31	$49,000	6
Religious organizations	8	19.8	3.58×Too few to compare	15	$17,067	—
Banks and credit unions	7	17.4	5.37×Too few to compare	37	$58,378	—
Building equipment contractors	6	14.9	2.47×Too few to compare	23	$45,870	6
Heavy and civil engineering construction	6	14.9	13.0×Too few to compare	13	$40,615	—
Other specialty trade contractors	6	14.9	5.93×Too few to compare	11	$41,364	16
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	5	12.4	3.93×Too few to compare	15	$43,267	6

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 4,034 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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $0 on contracts performed in Valley County, Nebraska: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

11.1KFY2019

What was bought

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.

Explore contracts in Valley County, Nebraska

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $30.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Valley County, Nebraska: $7,390 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $30.3M; −16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,390; US $12,955
Loan face value: $295.4K; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 15%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$18.8M62%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$3.2M10%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$2.2M7.1%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$1.5M4.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$1.4M4.6%
10.912 · Environmental Quality Incentives Program$851.3K2.8%
10.109 · Livestock Forage Disaster Program$780.2K2.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$355.4K1.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

CITY OF ORD HOUSING AUTHORITY$437K1.4%
ORD, NE
PETSKA CATTLE INC$390.9K1.3%
ORD, NE
VALLEY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY$109K0.4%
ORD, NE
CITY OF ORD HOUSING AUTHORITY$49.7K0.2%
ORD, NE
PRIME COMMUNICATIONS, INC.$40.8K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$22M73%
Farm Service Agency$3.9M13%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$2.4M7.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Natural Resources Conservation Service$814K2.7%
Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

42.3MFY2021
31.7MFY2022
33.5MFY2023
30.6MFY2024
36MFY2025
30.3MFY2026

County aggregates

81%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Explore grants in Valley County, Nebraska

Public money & outcomes

Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.

How Valley County, Nebraska compares: the federal money it received per resident, and how jobs, income, housing and other outcomes moved, each next to the United States.

Money per resident

By federal fiscal year (October to September, named by the year it ends), obligations per resident. A year with no record counts as $0.

Valley County, Nebraska
United States
partial year

Federal contractsUS dollars per resident

Table view

Money per resident, Valley County, Nebraska and the United States, by fiscal year
Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
FY2017

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.

Valley County, 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

Cities and towns in Valley County

Places whose residents live mostly in Valley County, largest first.

Neighboring counties

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar counties

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/31175

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
FY2021	$1,050	$5,748
FY2022	$81.59	$5,221
FY2023	$417	$5,364
FY2024	$153	$5,501
FY2025	$689	$5,732
FY2026	$143 (partial year)	$5,446

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
FY2021	$143	$239
FY2022	$143	$185
FY2023	$146	$229
FY2024	$162	$229
FY2025	$160	$249
FY2026	$123 (partial year)	$201

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
FY2021	$2,643	$1,186
FY2022	$635	$465
FY2023	-$154	$76.52
FY2024	$0	$120
FY2025	$8.55	$148
FY2026	$0 (partial year)	$108

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	−6.3%	−4.2%
2015	−2.4%	−1.3%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+2.2%	+3.3%
2018	+8.0%	+6.8%
2019

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	−0.8%	−5.5%
2015	+3.7%	−1.9%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	−7.8%	+4.1%
2018	−3.6%	+8.9%
2019

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
FY2021	$326	$298
FY2022	-$76.24	$357
FY2023	$0	$301
FY2024	$0	$319
FY2025	$515	$360
FY2026	$26.62 (partial year)	$349

Fiscal years (FY2024 = October 2023 to September 2024)	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
FY2021	$36.57	$2,304
FY2022	$0	$2,197
FY2023	$0	$2,274
FY2024	$0	$2,267
FY2025	$0	$2,397
FY2026	$0 (partial year)	$2,597

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	0.7%	2.0%
2015	−0.9%	2.1%
2016	3.0%	1.7%
2017	1.4%	1.4%
2018	−2.1%	1.6%
2019	2.2%	1.4%
2020	−2.7%	−6.1%
2021	−1.4%	3.4%
2022	0.1%	4.3%
2023	0.5%	2.1%
2024	−0.3%	1.2%
2025	0.8%	0.5%

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	3.0%	6.2%
2015	2.8%	5.3%
2016	2.7%	4.9%
2017	2.5%	4.4%
2018	2.8%	3.9%
2019	3.0%

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	2.6/1k	3.3/1k
2015	1.2/1k	3.7/1k
2016	1.0/1k	3.7/1k
2017	1.4/1k	3.9/1k
2018	1.4/1k	4.1/1k
2019

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	+3.0%	−6.9%
2015	+15.0%	−3.2%
2016	0.0%	0.0%
2017	+3.5%	+4.7%
2018	+12.0%	+7.5%
2019

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	12.3%	15.5%
2015	12.2%	14.7%
2016	11.6%	14.0%
2017	12.1%	13.4%
2018	12.4%	13.1%
2019	10.4%

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	—	−10.8% (Dec 2014)
2015	—	−5.2% (Dec 2015)
2016	0.0% (Dec 2016)	0.0% (Dec 2016)
2017	+5.6% (Dec 2017)

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	13.0%	13.5%
2015	10.9%	10.9%
2016	10.7%	10.0%
2017	11.8%	10.2%
2018	10.8%	10.4%
2019

Calendar years	Valley County, Nebraska	United States
2014	8.8/1k	8.5/1k
2015	12.0/1k	8.7/1k
2016	10.3/1k	9.1/1k
2017	9.0/1k	9.8/1k
2018	6.0/1k	10.7/1k
2019

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends