City profile · Nebraska · Census ACS 2023

Grand Island, NE

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Grand Island - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

52,761
Residents
$62,439
Median income
$202,600
Median home
$1,215
Median rent (state)

Grand Island - the verdict

Nationally, Grand Island sits in the 39th percentile for household income and the 29th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

39th
percentile, household income
44th
percentile, home value
37th
percentile, median rent
29th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Grand Island, NE

Grand Island is a small city in Nebraska, home to 52,761 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $62,439 per year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 10.1%. Typical homes in Grand Island are valued around $202,600, and the median resident age is 34.5 years. Educational attainment runs 20.7% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 66.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 223 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 112% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 2128.1 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, near the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Grand Island's yearly average temperature at 51.8°F with 26.6 inches of precipitation per year and 27.7 inches of snowfall.

Living costs in Nebraska run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Nebraska scores 90.1 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,215 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $207 across Nebraska, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Grand Island report an average commute of 16.5 minutes, with 81.4% driving alone and 3.5% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 74.2 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (High).

Population

52,761 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Nebraska

Median Household Income

$62,439 /yr

Poverty 10.1%

Cost of Living Index (state)

90.1 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Nebraska average

How does Grand Island compare to other US cities?

Here's how Grand Island stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 39% higher than other cities
Home value 44% pricier than other cities
Median rent 37% pricier than other cities
Safety 29% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Nebraska alone, Grand Island ranks #37 of 44 Nebraska cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Grand Island's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Nebraska, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

39thIncome percentile
29thSafety percentile

39th percentile nationally for median household income · 29th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Grand Island's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Grand Island's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 43 Avg. percentile National median
Grand Island's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Grand Island's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$202,600 Among the most affordable more affordable than 56% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). This entry sits in this band. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Grand Island $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Grand Island, NE Grand Island, NE's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Grand Island, NE-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Grand Island, NE median $62,439/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Grand Island, NE's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Grand Island, NE. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 20.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 10.1%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 66.1%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
52,761
Median Income
$62,439
Median Home Value
$202,600
Median Age
34.5
Poverty Rate
10.1%
Labor force participation
66.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
20.7%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
2128.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
367.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1760.4
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Climate

Avg Temperature
51.8°F
Annual Precipitation
26.6"
Annual Snowfall
27.7"

Schools

Total Schools
23
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
52,000 residents52,500 residents53,000 residents53,500 residents54,000 residents54,500 residents 202020212022202320242025 53,016 residents 53,943 residents ▲ +1.7%
Grand Island's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
223
housing units authorized
Single-Family
81
detached homes
Multifamily
142
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.2
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 105
2020 197
2021 232
2022 169
2023 311
2024 223

Permit volume increased 112% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
16.5 minutes
Drive Alone
81.4%
Carpool
12.3%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
0.6%
Work from Home
3.5%
Other
1.9%

Based on 25,443 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Nebraska - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$100
avg/month
Natural Gas
$65
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$207
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Nebraska state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Nebraska state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Grand Island sits in

Cost of Living Index
90.1
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,215/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
74.2 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Nebraska

Bellevue
64,355 people
Kearney
34,024 people
Fremont
27,321 people
Norfolk
25,962 people
Hastings
25,005 people
Columbus
24,188 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Grand Island's 52,761 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Novato, CA
52,689 people
Elyria, OH
52,833 people
Winter Haven, FL
52,846 people
Normal, IL
52,908 people
Paramount, CA
52,546 people
Methuen, MA
53,043 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Grand Island's $62,439 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Westphalia, MO
$62,438 median income
Canton, NY
$62,438 median income
Painesdale, MI
$62,436 median income
Edgemont, MD
$62,434 median income
Concord, AL
$62,431 median income
West Pittston, PA
$62,431 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Grand Island, NE Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Grand Island, NE - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 64.0% 19.1% 10.3% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 35.4% White 64.0% Black or African American 4.2% Asian 1.3% American Indian 1.1% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 19.1% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Grand Island compares to nearby Nebraska cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Grand Island (this city) 52,761 $62,439
Bellevue 64,355 $87,343
Kearney 34,024 $69,790
Fremont 27,321 $67,179
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NE FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Grand Island, NE?

What is the population of Grand Island, NE? +

52,761 people live in Grand Island, NE according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Grand Island, NE? +

In Grand Island, the typical household earns $62,439 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Grand Island? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Grand Island; the closest available measure is the Nebraska state average, a cost of living index of 90.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Nebraska vary by metro area.

Is Grand Island, NE safe? +

Grand Island has a total crime rate of 2128.1 per 100,000 residents, which is near the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Grand Island, NE? +

The median home value in Grand Island is $202,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Grand Island? +

Grand Island has an average annual temperature of 51.8°F, 26.6 inches of precipitation, and 27.7 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.