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Place dossier plate
SheetNE-SEWARD-NE · Seward, NE 7,665 pop · income 49th pct · 4 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Seward
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Seward on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Ludington · lowest
44,471
Ludington · lowest
44,471 median HH income
26.7% of the leader · rank #1
Seward · this city
70,000
Seward · this city
70,000 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #2
Steele · near
70,000
Steele · near
70,000 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #3
Kasigluk · near
70,000
Kasigluk · near
70,000 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #4
Crawfordsville · near
70,000
Crawfordsville · near
70,000 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #5
Norman · near
70,000
Norman · near
70,000 median HH income
42.1% of the leader · rank #6
Gold River · highest
166,250
Gold River · highest
166,250 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Seward on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 7,665.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Seward - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Seward lands in the 49th percentile for household income and the 75th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
49th
percentile, household income
51st
percentile, home value
15th
percentile, median rent
75th
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: Seward, NE
Nebraska's Seward is a small town, with 7,665 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Seward brings in $70,000 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.8%. Typical homes in Seward are valued around $232,500, and the median resident age is 30.9 years. Educational attainment runs 37.2% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 62.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 65 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 63% from five years earlier. Seward reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 730.7 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 50.0°F with 28.7 inches of precipitation per year and 21.5 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. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,001 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $207 across Nebraska, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Seward workers runs 17.0 minutes, with 73.9% driving alone and 6.1% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 25.8 out of 100 (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Seward's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from within-city variation to housing and income to population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist to schools and households to climate and hazard context to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Seward, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Within-city variation
What can 4 Census tracts reveal inside Seward?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
How far does income reach against housing in Seward?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +193 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 65 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Seward?
Within Nebraska, the closest population matches are Crete (7,521 residents, $76,258 income); Blair (7,868 residents, $76,292 income); McCook (7,360 residents, $51,815 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Ludington, MI (7,664 residents); Ashland, VA (7,667 residents); Thousand Palms, CA (7,662 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Seward?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 730.7 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 68% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
652.4
Violent rate
78.3
Total reported rate
730.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 37.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
37.2%
Poverty estimate
4.8%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.0°F, with 28.7 inches of precipitation and 21.5 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Nebraska is 25.8 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
50.0°F
Annual precipitation
28.7 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
25.8
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the journey to work look like in Seward?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 73.9%. The reported mean trip to work is 17.0 minutes.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
6.1%
Drive alone
73.9%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 3,781 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 4.8% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.1 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Nebraska average
B-
City profile score · Seward, NE
68/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A
90.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime B+
78 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B
37.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income D
$70,000
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Seward profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 85/100 (A) · 90.1 index
Violent crime: 76/100 (B+) · 78 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 70/100 (B) · 37.2%
Poverty rate: 67/100 (B-) · 4.8%
Household income: 49/100 (D) · $70,000
Where Seward sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Seward's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Seward highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Seward, NE (this city): home $232,500, crime 731/100k
Ludington, MI : home $192,800, crime 1,148/100k
Ashland, VA : home $272,600, crime 2,695/100k
New Albany, MS : home $150,000, crime 1,216/100k
Crete, NE : home $203,900, crime 2,734/100k
Blair, NE : home $211,000, crime 848/100k
McCook, NE : home $137,400, crime 1,083/100k
Nebraska City, NE : home $147,800, crime 1,123/100k
Alliance, NE : home $156,300, crime 1,122/100k
York, NE : home $170,900, crime 1,837/100k
How does Seward compare to other US cities?
Where Seward sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income49% higher than other cities
Home value51% pricier than other cities
Median rent15% pricier than other cities
Safety75% 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, Seward ranks #14 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
Each percentile compares Seward against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Nebraska only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Nebraska-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Seward near the bottom of Nebraska's cities
Among the 450 Nebraska cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Seward ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Seward only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#166 of 439
62nd percentile in Nebraska
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 450
0th percentile in Nebraska
Median Home Value
#25 of 438
94th percentile in Nebraska
Poverty Rate
#253 of 450
43rd percentile in Nebraska
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#25 of 450
94th percentile in Nebraska
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Nebraska only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
49th percentile nationally for median household income · 75th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Seward's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Seward'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 Seward's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$232,50049th percentilemore affordable than 49% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Seward's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,214 of 15,516
More affordable than 47% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#6,709 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.3×, Seward sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,214 of 15,516 and #6,709 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$70,000Seward, NE median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Seward, NE median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Seward, NE.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)37.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)62.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,665
Median Income
$70,000
Median Home Value
$232,500
Median Age
30.9
Poverty Rate
4.8%
Labor force participation
62.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
37.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
730.7
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
78.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
652.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
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
50.0°F
Annual Precipitation
28.7"
Annual Snowfall
21.5"
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Seward's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
7,699 residents
2021
7,636 residents
2022
7,636 residents
2023
7,688 residents
2024
7,807 residents
2025
7,892 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
65
housing units authorized
Single-Family
17
detached homes
Multifamily
48
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
8.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
176
30
146
$14.9M
2020
31
31
0
$13.7M
2021
19
19
0
$5.7M
2022
42
18
24
$8.0M
2023
26
22
4
$7.8M
2024
65
17
48
$14.1M
Permit volume decreased 63% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
17.0 minutes
Drive Alone
73.9%
Carpool
10.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
6.5%
Work from Home
6.1%
Other
3.4%
Based on 3,781 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Nebraska statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $207
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Nebraska at $207 (electricity about $100 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Nebraska statewide averages, not a meter reading for Seward. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Nebraska's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.1 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Seward is $1,001/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Nebraska statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 25.8 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Nebraska statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Seward sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Seward compares to similar-size Nebraska cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
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.