The 12 Best Small Towns to Retire in Nebraska
Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 36 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Nebraska. #1 is David City, NE.
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12Valentine, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 63% of Nebraska towns
2,633 people · Cherry County · median home $148,600 · income $56,898 · Jan low 13°F · 29 in snow
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11Central City, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 64% of Nebraska towns
3,039 people · Merrick County · median home $165,300 · income $73,229 · Jan low 14°F · 29 in snow
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10Wayne, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 65% of Nebraska towns
5,973 people · Wayne County · median home $228,900 · income $53,702 · Jan low 11°F · 32 in snow
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9Wahoo, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 66% of Nebraska towns
4,818 people · Saunders County · median home $243,600 · income $89,457 · Jan low 13°F · 34 in snow
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8West Point, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 70% of Nebraska towns
3,500 people · Cuming County · median home $202,200 · income $65,793 · Jan low 11°F · 29 in snow
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7Auburn, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 72% of Nebraska towns
3,470 people · Nemaha County · median home $98,800 · income $57,531 · Jan low 14°F · 30 in snow
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6Holdrege, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 78% of Nebraska towns
5,515 people · Phelps County · median home $198,900 · income $55,789 · Jan low 13°F · 25 in snow
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5Broken Bow, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 87% of Nebraska towns
3,506 people · Custer County · median home $133,200 · income $60,129 · Jan low 12°F · 30 in snow
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4Valley, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 92% of Nebraska towns
3,037 people · Douglas County · median home $528,100 · income $110,200 · Jan low 15°F · 32 in snow
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3Ashland, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 92% of Nebraska towns
3,086 people · Saunders County · median home $249,700 · income $89,408 · Jan low 13°F · 22 in snow
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2O'Neill, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 93% of Nebraska towns
3,581 people · Holt County · median home $153,300 · income $56,510 · Jan low 11°F · 26 in snow
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1David City, Nebraska
Better for retirees than 96% of Nebraska towns
2,995 people · Butler County · median home $165,200 · income $65,573 · Jan low 12°F · 32 in snow
Price vs ranking
More Nebraska rankings
- 17 Small Towns in Nebraska With the Mildest Winters
- The 25 Most Walkable Small Towns in Nebraska
- 15 Small Towns in Nebraska With the Fewest Tornadoes Since 1950
- The 14 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Nebraska
Same ranking, other places
- The 50 Best Small Towns to Retire in America
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Pennsylvania
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in New York
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Michigan
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Texas
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in California
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in New Jersey
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Florida
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Wisconsin
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Ohio
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
- FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
- NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
- The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)