AreaScoop

Photo: Wikipedia

Kearney, NE

Find The Best Places To Live
in Kearney

PRO TIP! You can paste a Zillow or Redfin link.

Quality of Life

Overall Quality Of Life
A+
Elite

An exceptional place to live — walkable, affordable relative to incomes, with a thriving local economy and abundant recreation.

Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.

The Hood Index™

A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.

A+
Hood Index scan area
Luxury Lean96%
RisksNeutralGrowth
Premium
40
Positive
40
Poor
2
Negative
1

Groceries

3 within 10 miles

1.4mi

Gas

20 within 10 miles

0.2mi

Hospital

5 within 20 miles

0.5mi

Airport

MCI — Kansas City International

250.7mi

Post Office

USPS — Kearney, NE

0.5mi

Critical Amenities

Country Clubs

1 private club within 10 miles.

Golf3Nearest 2.3 mi
Camping1Nearest 40.2 mi
Marina0 
Winery0 
Ice Rink0 
Gun Range0 

Affluence Level

Overall Affluence Grade
C
Average

A middle-class area roughly in line with national averages across income, home values, education, and employment.

Est. Avg Net Worth
$340k
48% below US avg
Avg HH Debt
$17k
8% below US avg

Crime

Overall Crime Grade
A-
Very Safe

Lower crime rates than 78% of comparable U.S. locations.

Crime Rate
14.4
Incidents per 1,000 residents
5yr Trend
−9.1%
Overall crime change since 2020

Violent Crime

5yr−19.3%
Homicide
0.00 / 1k Residents100% below state avg
Robbery
0.14 / 1k Residents24% below state avg
Aggravated Assault
1.49 / 1k Residents2% below state avg

Property Crime

5yr+1.0%
Burglary
0.97 / 1k Residents17% below state avg
Larceny-Theft
10.15 / 1k Residents5% below state avg
Motor Vehicle Theft
0.94 / 1k Residents49% below state avg
Source: FBI Crime Data · 2025

Political Climate

Cook PVI: R+27Solidly Conservative

District shown is the primary district for this city’s centroid. Cities may span multiple districts.

Presidential Voting Trends for Kearney, Nebraska
Dem Rep
20%30%40%50%60%70%80%2000200420082012201620202024

Personal Sovereignty

Personal Sovereignty measures your capacity for self-reliance and independence with minimal government friction. Higher scores mean fewer barriers between you and the way you want to live... but it assumes you have the space you need and good neighbors.

Overall Sovereignty Grade
B-
Self-Reliant

Viable for self-reliance. Generally workable, though some barriers may limit total independence.

State Policy

Tax Burden
D
Poor11.5% of income
Property Rights
C
FairIJ Grade C
Firearm Rights
C+
FairFPC Grade C+
Homeschooling
C+
WeakModerate regulation

Energy independence: Importer (35% of energy produced in-state)

Personal Liberty

Raw Milk
A-
OpenFarm sales legal
Gambling Laws
B
Broadly OpenCasinos · Poker · Sportsbetting
Marijuana Laws
C+
LimitedMedical only

Homesteading

Growing Season180 days232 frost-free
Annual Rainfall25.1"
Elevation2,159 ft

Strategic Assessment

Strategic Assessment grades tactical survivability using Joel Skousen's Strategic Relocation framework. Major population centers, blast zones, natural disasters, and border exposure all drive risk — lower exposure means a more defensible position in a crisis.

Learn more about Strategic Relocation ($)
Overall Strategic Grade
A-
Resilient

Strong survivability profile. Good buffer from population centers, with manageable environmental and tactical risks.

Strategic Pillars

City Proximity
A+
Great1309 mi to nearest major city
Fallout Danger
D-
Poor2 within ~30 mi
Natural Disaster
D+
PoorHail, Inland Flooding, Strong Wind, Tornado, Drought
Border / Coast
A+
Greatborder 573 mi · coast 788 mi
FEMA Expected Loss$37.4M/yrfor the county

* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area.

What your realtor won't tell you!

Find the best place to live

Go beyond the listing to get the inside scoop on any home in the US.

PRO TIP! You can paste a Zillow or Redfin link.