Buffalo County · Nebraska · Midwest · 34k residents
Kearney, NE: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Kearney: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Nebraska median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,036/wk. Nebraska's corporate income tax rate is 5.2%. Commercial electricity averages 8.4¢/kWh.
Compare Kearney side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,036/wk
Corporate income tax
5.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher
36.5%
Commercial electricity
8.4¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Kearney's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
47/100
Steady
Ranks Kearney's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $244,600 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $165 |
| Property tax rate | 1.6% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $787/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $946/mo |
| State & local income tax | 3.2% |
| Sales tax | 7% |
| Corporate income tax | 5.2% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,036/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 8.4¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 37.0/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $110,900 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $84,730 |
| Wage: General manager | $85,090 |
| Wage: Customer service | $43,940 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $35,920 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $58,390 |
| Wage: Electrician | $60,820 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $31,870 |
| Cost of living index | 81 |
| Groceries index | 95 |
| Utilities | $150/mo |
| Transit pass | $55/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 95 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,050/mo |
| Median household income | $69,724 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% |
| Population | 34k |
| Crime index | 42/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 66/100 |
| Avg. commute | 19 min |
| Sunny days / year | 215 days |
| July high | 87°F |
| January low | 14°F |
| Annual snowfall | 22 in |
| Home price YoY | +6.6% |
| Home price MoM | +0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +11.1% |
| Rent MoM | +0.9% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -0.1% |
| Building permits YoY | +8.0% |
| Ocean coast | 804 mi |
| Big lake | 139 mi |
| Mountains | 314 mi |
| Major airport | 173 mi |
| Ski resort | 344 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Hastings, NE · 25k
- Grand Island, NE · 53k
- North Platte, NE · 23k
- Columbus, NE · 24k
- Lincoln, NE · 295k
Similar size
- Fremont, NE · 28k
- Norfolk, NE · 26k
- Papillion, NE · 25k
- La Vista, NE · 17k
- Bellevue, NE · 65k
Real listings in Kearney
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Kearney a good place to run a business?
- Nebraska's corporate income tax rate is 5.2%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,036/wk; commercial electricity averages 8.4¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Kearney, NE?
- Kearney indexes at 81 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $946/mo and a acs median home value of $244,600.
- How much does a house cost in Kearney?
- The acs median home value in Kearney is $244,600 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Kearney?
- A two-bedroom in Kearney rents for about $946/mo.