The Town Files

The 14 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Nebraska

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 36 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Nebraska. #1 is Seward, NE.

Map of the 14 towns1234567891011121314
Numbers match the ranking.
The 14 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Nebraska1. Seward100th pct2. Wahoo96th pct3. Auburn95th pct4. Valentine94th pct5. Central City90th pct6. Sidney89th pct7. Ralston88th pct8. Plattsmouth86th pct9. Ashland77th pct10. Ogallala75th pct11. York69th pct12. Blair67th pct13. Falls City65th pct14. McCook64th pct
  1. 14McCook, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 64% of Nebraska towns

    7,446 people · Red Willow County · median home $154,300 · income $56,917 · Jan low 16°F · 20 in snow

  2. 13Falls City, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 65% of Nebraska towns

    4,133 people · Richardson County · median home $89,800 · income $51,706 · Jan low 17°F · 22 in snow

  3. 12Blair, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 67% of Nebraska towns

    7,790 people · Washington County · median home $221,500 · income $81,452 · Jan low 13°F · 31 in snow

  4. 11York, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 69% of Nebraska towns

    8,066 people · York County · median home $180,900 · income $63,265 · Jan low 14°F · 28 in snow

  5. 10Ogallala, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 75% of Nebraska towns

    4,878 people · Keith County · median home $155,800 · income $58,556 · Jan low 15°F · 25 in snow

  6. 9Ashland, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 77% of Nebraska towns

    3,086 people · Saunders County · median home $249,700 · income $89,408 · Jan low 13°F · 22 in snow

  7. 8Plattsmouth, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 86% of Nebraska towns

    6,544 people · Cass County · median home $183,600 · income $73,929 · Jan low 12°F · 25 in snow

  8. 7Ralston, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 88% of Nebraska towns

    6,494 people · Douglas County · median home $230,800 · income $69,403 · Jan low 14°F · 36 in snow

  9. 6Sidney, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 89% of Nebraska towns

    6,410 people · Cheyenne County · median home $139,400 · income $54,734 · Jan low 14°F · 29 in snow

  10. 5Central City, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 90% of Nebraska towns

    3,039 people · Merrick County · median home $165,300 · income $73,229 · Jan low 14°F · 29 in snow

  11. 4Valentine, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 94% of Nebraska towns

    2,633 people · Cherry County · median home $148,600 · income $56,898 · Jan low 13°F · 29 in snow

  12. 3Auburn, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 95% of Nebraska towns

    3,470 people · Nemaha County · median home $98,800 · income $57,531 · Jan low 14°F · 30 in snow

  13. 2Wahoo, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 96% of Nebraska towns

    4,818 people · Saunders County · median home $243,600 · income $89,457 · Jan low 13°F · 34 in snow

  14. 1Seward, Nebraska

    Better for first-time buyers than 100% of Nebraska towns

    7,643 people · Seward County · median home $244,600 · income $72,564 · Jan low 12°F · 22 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Nebraska towns0255075100$90K$153K$216K$279K$342KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 14 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Nebraska.

More Nebraska rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 36 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Nebraska (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: