Population & age
- Total population
- 17,104
- Median age
- 36.9
Buffalo County · Population 17,104
Kearney, NE (ZIP 68847) sits in Buffalo County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 27. Top health signal: Obesity comes in above the national average at 38.5%. NCES lists 5 schools serving the area, 5 non-charter. 2 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $6,018. IRS data shows average household income (AGI) of $70,327, well above the ~$45K national average per return. BLS QCEW reports average annual pay of $51,993 per worker, roughly 21% below the US average. BLS LAUS reports county unemployment of just 2.2% (2024), well below the ~4.0% US average and consistent with a tight local labor market. FEMA has issued 21 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1967 — a high-frequency exposure profile. 30.7% of residents in this county are flagged low-access by USDA's 2025 Food Environment Atlas — a notable supermarket-access gap. Nebraska levies a graduated state income tax (top rate 5.20%); a household at the local median AGI of $70,327 would pay roughly $2,194/year before deductions. New residents arriving here predominantly come from Dawson County, NE (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Healthcare access is the area's quieter strength; school options sit on the lighter side, so families may find themselves looking at districts a few ZIPs over. Notable: median household income $66,818, fair market rent of $1,080 for a two-bedroom, and a typical home value of $281,708, up 5.8% over the past year. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
Studio
$830
/month
1 Bed
$910
/month
2 Bed
$1,080
/month
3 Bed
$1,430
/month
4 Bed
$1,810
/month
HUD Fair Market Rents represent the 40th percentile of standard-quality rental housing in this area. FY2026 data.
$281,708
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) · as of March 2026
+5.8%
vs. March 2025
+36.2%
vs. March 2021
Kearney, NE
Metropolitan statistical area
Source: Zillow Research, ZHVI All Homes (SFR, Condo/Co-op) Time Series (zillow.com/research/data). Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) is copyrighted by Zillow, Inc.
New housing units permitted
136
Across 130 permitted buildings. Total construction value: $54.4M.
Single-family
128
94% of total units
Multifamily (2+ unit)
8
6% of total units
Single-family value
$52.8M
construction value
Multifamily value
$1.6M
construction value
Aggregated from 2 counties touching this ZIP (2024).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (census.gov/construction/bps). Public domain. BPS reports annual residential building permits from local permit-issuing jurisdictions, aggregated to county. A permit reflects intent to build, not a completed unit — actual construction lags by 6-24 months for multifamily projects.
Tax returns filed
8,710
Average AGI
$70,327
Avg property tax
$197
EITC participation
12.3%
Income distribution
Avg mortgage interest
$194
Avg charitable contribution
$485
Avg capital gains
$2,662
Avg total income tax
—
Source: IRS Statistics of Income — Individual Income Tax Statistics by ZIP Code (irs.gov). Public domain. Dollar columns reported in thousands by the IRS; figures here display real dollars. Total ZCTA AGI for the area was $612.5M across all reported brackets.
Business establishments
900
Total employment
12,147
Annual payroll
$547.6M
Average annual pay
$45,079
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Business Patterns (census.gov). Public domain. ZBP covers establishments with paid employees; Census suppresses employment and payroll values when fewer employers operate in a ZIP than would protect their confidentiality.
Average annual pay
$51,993
Average weekly wage
$1,000
Total employment
28,148
Total establishments
1,879
That is roughly 21% below the US national average of $65,470 per worker.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (bls.gov/cew). Public domain. QCEW is derived from state unemployment-insurance filings and covers ~95% of US jobs. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches; small-employer cells are suppressed by BLS to protect employer confidentiality.
Unemployment rate
2.2%
That is 1.8 percentage points below the US national unemployment rate of about 4.0%.
Labor force
28,669
Employed
28,027
Unemployed
642
Based on Buffalo County, NE data (2024).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (bls.gov/lau). Public domain. LAUS publishes monthly and annual labor-force estimates for every US county. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches.
FDIC-insured bank branches
14
Strong banking access
Multiple institutions and offices within easy reach of residents.
Total deposits
$1.6B
across all branches in this ZIP
Distinct institutions
13
different banks operating here
Top banks by deposits in this ZIP
Based on FDIC-insured branch offices as of June 30, 2024.
Source: FDIC Summary of Deposits (fdic.gov). Annual June-30 snapshot of every FDIC-insured branch and the deposits booked there. Figures cover all institutions reporting a branch address in this ZIP.
Public EV charging stations
4
Established EV charging
Multiple public charging stations across the ZIP — typical of mid-density suburban and small-urban areas with active EV adoption.
Level 2 ports
4
AC charging — workplace, retail, home
DC Fast ports
0
Highway-class fast charging
Charging networks
Other
4
Biodiesel, E85, LNG, RD
Active public stations only. Snapshot taken 2026; AFDC's underlying registry refreshes continuously as stations open and close.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy via NREL (afdc.energy.gov). Per-ZIP counts of active public alternative-fuel stations (electric, hydrogen, propane, CNG, biodiesel, E85, LNG, renewable diesel) and EV charging-port totals.
Public-library outlets
2
Multiple library outlets
Several public-library outlets within the ZIP, giving residents real choice in branch hours, programming, and walk-in distance.
Buildings
1
1 central
Avg hours / week
49.8
across outlets in this ZIP
Avg square feet
49,052
per outlet
Outlets in this ZIP
+ 1 more outlet in this ZIP
Includes 1 bookmobile — service location varies; check the system's schedule.
Public libraries provide free WiFi, computer access, children's programming, job-seeking resources, and meeting space — community infrastructure beyond books. FY2023 outlet inventory from the federal Public Libraries Survey.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services (imls.gov). Per-ZIP counts of active public-library outlets — central buildings, branches, and bookmobiles — operated by federally reporting library systems.
Federally Declared Disasters
21
Date Range
1967–2022
Most Recent Declaration
SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES
Severe Storm — declared February 23, 2022 (DR-4641)
Incident period: December 15, 2021 – December 15, 2021
Top Incident Types
Individual Assistance
6
Direct help to disaster survivors
Households Program
4
Housing & temporary lodging support
Public Assistance
20
Repair of public facilities & roads
Hazard Mitigation
12
Funding to reduce future disaster risk
FEMA declares disasters at the county level; counts here include every federally declared disaster touching any county that overlaps this ZIP. Statewide declarations and pre-1964 records without county granularity are excluded. Program flags reflect which FEMA assistance categories were activated (Individual Assistance, Households, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation). Source: fema.gov/openfema. Public domain.
30-year averages (1991-2020) from the nearest GHCN-D weather station. Temperature and precipitation values reflect typical annual conditions, not any single year.
Avg. temperature
49.9°F
37.6° – 62.1°
Annual precipitation
25.6"
Annual snowfall
21.8"
Heating · cooling days
6,387.4 · 904
Annual base 65°F
Nearest station: KEARNEY 4 NE, NE US, 1 miles from the centroid of Kearney, NE (ZIP 68847)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (ncei.noaa.gov). Public domain.
Years of potential life lost (per 100K)
5,530
That is roughly 2,670 years per 100,000 below the national county median (~8,200).
Premature death is the headline composite outcome CHR reports — age-adjusted, all-cause, before age 75.
Fair or poor health
18%
of adults self-report
Poor physical health days
3.8
avg per adult per month
Poor mental health days
4.7
avg per adult per month
Uninsured
7.9%
of residents under 65
Primary care MDs
87
per 100,000 residents
Preventable hospital stays
2,339
per 100K Medicare enrollees
Food environment (0-10)
7.5
10 = best access & security
Exercise access
84%
residents near a facility
Flu vaccinated
57%
of Medicare enrollees
Low birth weight (under 2,500 g) accounts for 8.1% of live births in this county — an early-life health input that downstream outcomes track against.
Based on Buffalo data (2025 CHR release).
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (countyhealthrankings.org). Annual release. Underlying source datasets vary by measure (CDC BRFSS, NCHS Vital Statistics, AHA, USDA Food Environment Atlas, and others). Figures are county-level and assigned to every ZIP whose primary county matches.
Food access status
Significant food access concerns
30.7% of Buffalo County, NE residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.
Grocery stores
0.12
per 1,000 residents
Supercenters & clubs
—
per 1,000 residents
SNAP-authorized stores
0.80
accepting food benefits
Fast-food restaurants
0.94
per 1,000 residents
Among low-income residents, 9.4% are low-access — those without a supermarket within 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural).
Per-1,000 figures show how many of each store type exist in Buffalo County, NE for every 1,000 residents. Higher grocery and supercenter density usually means easier access to fresh food; higher convenience-store-only density (with low grocery rate) often signals a food swamp.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Environment Atlas (ers.usda.gov). County-level metrics fanned to ZIP via the primary county in the Census ZCTA-county relationship file. Variable years differ per family (stores ~2020, low-access ~2019).
FBI publishes crime data at the county level. Numbers below cover the primary county that contains this ZIP. Rates are per 100,000 residents in the area covered by reporting agencies.
Violent crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 23 reports
Property crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 61 reports
Homicide
0
Robbery
0
Burglary
9
Vehicle theft
5
County-level data for Buffalo (2024)
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program (cde.ucr.cjis.gov). Public domain. Coverage varies by reporting agency; areas with partial agency coverage may understate true crime totals.
Net migration (2022-2023)
▼−35 people
+31 households • −$9.4M net AGI flow
Moved in
1,801households
2,911 people • $93.9M AGI
Moved out
1,770households
2,946 people • $103.2M AGI
Where new residents came from
Where departing residents went
Incoming households reported an average AGI of $52,110 versus departing households' $58,311.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income, Migration Data (irs.gov). Public domain. Migration is measured by year-over-year changes in the address on individual tax returns; figures are county-level totals attributed to ZIPs whose primary county matches. Foreign migration contributes to inflow/outflow totals but does not appear in the top-county lists. Small flows are suppressed by IRS to protect taxpayer confidentiality.
State-level rules that apply to every resident of ZIP 68847. Numbers reflect the most recent published year per source.
Income tax
5.20%
graduated · 3 brackets
Sales tax (combined)
6.98%
State 5.50% · avg local 1.48%
Property tax (effective)
1.20%
Median $2,115/year
Tax burden rank
33 of 50
10.80% of personal income
For ZIP 68847: At this ZIP's median AGI of $70,327, the estimated state income tax (before deductions) runs about $2,194 per year. Applied to this ZIP's typical home value of $281,708, that works out to roughly $3,387/year in property tax.
Program
No program
No program
SNAP eligibility
165% FPL
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (raises gross income limit above federal 130% floor). Asset limit $25,000.
Sources: Tax Foundation (state tax rates & brackets), Bipartisan Policy Center (paid family leave), USDA FNS (SNAP categorical eligibility).
Other ZIPs in Kearney
Nearby ZIPs by distance
68849 (Kearney, 4.9 mi) · 68840 (Gibbon, 7.6 mi) · 68845 (Kearney, 8 mi) · 68870 (Riverdale, 10.3 mi) · 68861 (Odessa, 13 mi) · 68876 (Shelton, 15.4 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
All data on this page is sourced from federal government datasets · Not AI-generated · Methodology
Crude prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES, derived from BRFSS small-area modeling. Population-level figures only.
38.5%
5.5pp above the 33.0% national rate.
33.8%
Tracks close to the 32.0% national rate.
17.9%
4.1pp below the 22.0% national rate.
75.5%
Tracks close to the 76.0% national rate.
9.7%
3.3pp below the 13.0% national rate.
10.2%
Tracks close to the 11.0% national rate.
5 schools serve this ZIP, including 5 non-charter.
| School | Type | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUNRISE MIDDLE SCHOOL | Public | 6–8 | 604 |
| MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Public | -1–5 | 410 |
| NORTHEAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Public | -1–5 | 344 |
| BRYANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Public | -1–5 | 235 |
| EMERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | Public | -1–5 | 206 |
Schools listed from NCES Common Core of Data via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal.
Fresh.NCES CCD via Urban Institute EDP · Apr 27, 2026Colleges in this area
2
Median in-state tuition
$6,018
Median earnings (10 yr)
$44,767
Kearney, NE · 68849
Grand Island, NE · 68802
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov). Public domain data. Earnings figures reflect median earnings 10 years after entry for federally-aided students.
Kearney, NE (ZIP 68847) sits in Buffalo County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 27. Top health signal: Obesity comes in above the national average at 38.5%. NCES lists 5 schools serving the area, 5 non-charter. 2 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $6,018. IRS data shows average household income (AGI) of $70,327, well above the ~$45K national average per return. BLS QCEW reports average annual pay of $51,993 per worker, roughly 21% below the US average. BLS LAUS reports county unemployment of just 2.2% (2024), well below the ~4.0% US average and consistent with a tight local labor market. FEMA has issued 21 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1967 — a high-frequency exposure profile. 30.7% of residents in this county are flagged low-access by USDA's 2025 Food Environment Atlas — a notable supermarket-access gap. Nebraska levies a graduated state income tax (top rate 5.20%); a household at the local median AGI of $70,327 would pay roughly $2,194/year before deductions. New residents arriving here predominantly come from Dawson County, NE (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Healthcare access is the area's quieter strength; school options sit on the lighter side, so families may find themselves looking at districts a few ZIPs over. Notable: median household income $66,818, fair market rent of $1,080 for a two-bedroom, and a typical home value of $281,708, up 5.8% over the past year. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
The two domains pull in different directions. Healthcare access reads strong, but the on-paper school count is on the lighter side — that’s less a quality signal and more a density one. Households here often look at districts a few ZIPs over for school choice while keeping their providers local.
One concrete reading worth keeping: Depression prevalence sits lower the national rate at 17.9%. Each figure on this page links to the original federal dataset with its retrieval date — this synthesis is a reading, not a substitute for the underlying records.
38.5%, which is 5.5 percentage points above the national average of 33.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
17.9%, which is 4.1 percentage points below the national average of 22.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
33.8%, which is 1.8 percentage points above the national average of 32.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
5 schools serve this ZIP, including 5 public schools (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 27, 2026). No charter schools are listed in this ZIP by NCES CCD.
No charter schools are listed in ZIP 68847 by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 27, 2026).
No high schools are listed in this ZIP by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 27, 2026).
17,104 people live in ZIP 68847, with a median age of 36.9 (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
$66,818 per year (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
In ZIP 68847, 68.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 31.5% are renter-occupied (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
In ZIP 68847, 6.2% of workers work from home. Public transit is used by 0.4% of commuters (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
14.6% of the population in ZIP 68847 lives below the federal poverty line (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
89.6% of households in ZIP 68847 have broadband internet access (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
The typical home value in ZIP 68847 is $281,708, up 5.8% from a year ago (Zillow Home Value Index, retrieved May 1, 2026).
Home values are up 5.8% over the past year and up 36.2% over the past five years (Zillow Home Value Index, retrieved May 1, 2026).
The average Adjusted Gross Income reported on tax returns from ZIP 68847 (Kearney, NE) is $70,327 per return (IRS SOI Tax Year 2022, retrieved May 2, 2026).
Tax returns from ZIP 68847 report an average of $197 per return in real-estate tax deductions (IRS SOI Tax Year 2022, retrieved May 2, 2026).
4.2% of tax returns from ZIP 68847 (Kearney, NE) report Adjusted Gross Income of $200,000 or more (IRS SOI Tax Year 2022, retrieved May 2, 2026).
As of 2022, 900 business establishments operated in ZIP 68847 employing 12,147 workers (Census ZIP Business Patterns, retrieved May 3, 2026).
The average annual pay across all local establishments in ZIP 68847 is $45,079, based on Census ZIP Business Patterns 2022 data (retrieved May 3, 2026).
According to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (2022), ZIP 68847 ranks in the 54th percentile nationally for social vulnerability — a high vulnerability profile (retrieved May 3, 2026).
Household Characteristics is the highest-scoring CDC SVI theme for ZIP 68847, ranking in the 65th percentile nationally (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022, retrieved May 3, 2026).
FEMA has recorded 21 federal disaster declarations affecting ZIP 68847 between 1967–2022 (FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, retrieved May 3, 2026).
Severe Storm is the most common federally declared disaster type affecting ZIP 68847, accounting for 12 of 21 declarations (57%, FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
The most recent FEMA disaster declaration affecting ZIP 68847 was "SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES" — a severe storm declared in 2022 (DR-4641) (FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
2 colleges and universities are listed near ZIP 68847 by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, including University Of Nebraska At Kearney and Central Community College (retrieved May 2, 2026).
Median in-state tuition across 2 nearby institutions is $6,018 (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
Graduates of nearby colleges earn a median of $44,767 ten years after entry (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
ZIP 68847 has an average annual temperature of 49.9°F and 25.6" of annual precipitation based on the KEARNEY 4 NE, NE US weather station 1.0 miles from the ZIP centroid (NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, retrieved May 8, 2026).
Nebraska has a graduated income tax with a top rate of 5.20%. Households at the local median AGI of $70,327 would pay roughly $2,194 in state income tax annually (estimated, before deductions). Combined sales tax: 6.98% (Tax Foundation 2025).
Nebraska has no state paid family leave program (Bipartisan Policy Center 2026).
This page covers health outcomes from CDC PLACES (40 metrics), school information from NCES CCD (5 schools), demographics from the Census ACS 5-Year (2022), home values from the Zillow Home Value Index, colleges from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2 institutions), income & tax statistics from the IRS SOI (Tax Year 2022), local business & employment from Census ZIP Business Patterns (2022), social vulnerability scores from the CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022), federal disaster declarations from FEMA OpenFEMA (21 on record), climate normals from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020), county-level crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024), and state-level tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Data is refreshed on Mubboo's standard schedule.
Health data retrieved Apr 24, 2026 from CDC PLACES. School data retrieved Apr 27, 2026 from NCES CCD. Demographics retrieved Apr 30, 2026 from Census ACS 5-Year (2022). Home values retrieved May 1, 2026 from Zillow Research. College data retrieved May 2, 2026 from U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard. Income & tax statistics retrieved May 2, 2026 from IRS SOI (Tax Year 2022). Business & employment retrieved May 3, 2026 from Census ZBP (2022). Social vulnerability scores retrieved May 3, 2026 from CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022). Federal disaster declarations retrieved May 3, 2026 from FEMA OpenFEMA (21 on record). Climate normals retrieved May 8, 2026 from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020). County-level crime data retrieved May 4, 2026 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024). State-level tax rates retrieved 2026-05-05 15:58:22.284+00 from the Tax Foundation.
Other ZIPs in Kearney
Nearby ZIPs by distance
68849 (Kearney, 4.9 mi) · 68840 (Gibbon, 7.6 mi) · 68845 (Kearney, 8 mi) · 68870 (Riverdale, 10.3 mi) · 68861 (Odessa, 13 mi) · 68876 (Shelton, 15.4 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
Have a specific question about ZIP 68847?
Ask Mubboo — launching Q4 2026.
Data refreshed via Mubboo's ETL pipeline; oldest source on this page retrieved Apr 24, 2026.
Social Vulnerability Index
Overall SVI
54th percentile
High Vulnerability
Based on 10 census tracts, population 18,886
Vulnerability Themes
Households Without Vehicle
455
Limited English Speakers
313
Persons with Disability
2,727
Without HS Diploma
1,174
Without Health Insurance
1,186
Adults Age 65+
3,174
The Social Vulnerability Index uses U.S. Census data to identify communities most at risk during public health emergencies and natural disasters. Higher percentiles indicate greater vulnerability. Tract-level scores are aggregated to this ZCTA via Census 2020 ZCTA→Tract crosswalk, weighted by land-area share. Source: atsdr.cdc.gov. Public domain.