The story of this market
The typical home in Seward County, Nebraska sells for about $279,000, or $172 per square foot.
Prices are up +16.3% from a year ago, so sellers still have some momentum. Homes take about 46 days to sell. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 143% since 2000. The biggest natural hazard here is hail, which FEMA rates very high. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,055 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $1,055 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Relatively High.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2000–2025
0%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2022 (+13.1%). Worst: 2008 (-0.6%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
+3.2%
NE · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$1,461
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2000–2025
0%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 4 census tracts in this county (2000 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
77
Relatively High
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $13,583,265.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
85.2%
2018 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 653 | 371 | 85.2% | 6.8% | $185,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
Seward County, Nebraska
Seward County's housing market remains stable with modest price gains and healthy buyer interest driven by spillover from the Lincoln metropolitan area. Inventory levels have edged upward to around 69 active listings, while properties sell near list price at a sustainable pace. Steady local manufacturing and higher-education employment continue to anchor homeowner demand.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 9 cities · 10 ZIP reports
Median prices moved up 0.1% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 32 days on market with 0.1 months of supply — a fast-moving market.
0% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 3.84% of asking — demand is holding steady.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 2.4% · poverty 8.8% — a stable, low-distress profile.
Deterministic aggregate of 8 researched ZIP reports of 10 — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
Seward County, Nebraska — researched county-level history with a deterministic 1 / 3 / 5-year projection
Solid: researched ten-year history · dotted: 1 / 3 / 5-year projection extended from the historical 6.5%/yr trend — a deterministic estimate, not a published forecast or guarantee.
No researched properties in this county yet — the property base layer populates as property research runs, and each property feeds its ZIP's roll-up.
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| 68314 | Bee | $308,377 | $122 | — | — | — | — | — | — | $900 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68339 | Cordova | $630,000 | $269 | — | 63 | 98% | — | — | 5 | $1,055 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68364 | Garland | $147,225 | $94 | -15.9% | 53 | 98.5% | 14% | 2.6 | 36 | $950 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68405 | Milford | $291,000 | $128 | +3.2% | 42 | 98.5% | 12% | 2.8 | 14 | $890 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68423 | Pleasant Dale | $164,500 | $166 | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | $906 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68434 | Salem | $320,972 | $183 | +4.1% | 69 | 98.5% | 12% | 3.2 | 42 | $1,035 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68439 | Staplehurst | $371,551 | $181 | — | 40 | — | — | — | 2,118 | $688 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68444 | Strang | $244,301 | $156 | +8.9% | 46 | 100% | — | — | 30 | $1,055 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68456 | Utica | $259,000 | $135 | +2.1% | 52 | 97.5% | 18% | 4.2 | 12 | $993 | researched Sep 28 |
| 68638 | Fullerton | $128,800 | $85 | +2.1% | 112 | 96.5% | 12% | 6.2 | 14 | $817 | researched Sep 28 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
Seward County exhibits low overall violent and property crime rates that track well below Nebraska state and national medians, typical of rural and small-town micropolitan fringes outside Lincoln.
Public education is anchored by Seward Public Schools and Centennial Public Schools, supported by private institutions including St. John Lutheran School and higher education presence via Concordia University.
The primary natural hazards include severe convective storms bringing high winds, hail, and occasional tornadoes, alongside localized seasonal flooding near the Big Blue River basin; wildfire risk remains low to moderate.
Economic growth is supported by manufacturing, agribusiness, and education, anchored by employers such as Concordia University, Tenneco/DRiV, Memorial Health Care Systems, and Hughes Brothers.
Composed from the ARED governance burden registry — tier-native tax structure (state + county + city + special districts), never averaged. Federal (United States (federal)) — Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Superfund Liens: Establishes a statutory federal lien upon the parcel running in favor of the United States for all unrecovered cleanup costs, damages, and statutory interest incurred by the EPA. Rate and formula: Direct Dollar-for-Dollar Reimbursement (Lien Amount = Incurred Response Costs + Administrative Costs + Federal (United States (federal)) — Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) Withholding: Imposes an affirmative withholding tax obligation on the transferee (buyer) to withhold and remit tax on the gross amount realized (gross sales price). The statutory base withholding rate is 15% of the total purchase price (Formula: Tax = Amount Realized × 15%). Exemptions and reductions: (1) 0% wit Federal (United States (federal)) — Federal General Tax Lien Encumbrance: Under IRC § 6321, a statutory lien arises automatically as of the date of assessment and attaches to all real property owned or acquired by the taxpayer.
Rental stock is largely concentrated in the city of Seward, driven by workforce demand and student enrollment at Concordia University, maintaining low vacancy and modest asking rents.
The economy centers on higher education, advanced automotive parts and manufacturing, agriculture/agtech, and regional healthcare services.
Road transit is dominated by Interstate 80 along the southern edge and US Route 34 bisecting east-west, providing 25 to 35-minute commutes into downtown Lincoln.
County planning emphasizes agricultural preservation while channeling light industrial expansion and residential subdivisions into municipal extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions.
The Seward County Assessor assesses all real property annually at 100 percent of actual fair market value, adhering to Nebraska Department of Revenue property assessment regulations and equalization standards.
Parcels are subject to levies from consolidated public school districts, Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (NRD), rural fire protection districts, and municipal tax authorities.
Property insurance rates are influenced primarily by convective severe weather hazards (wind and hail) rather than coastal flood or extreme wildfire perils.
- Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park4.129.1 mi
- Lost In Fun!4.526 mi
- Round1 Bowling & Arcade - Lincoln3.928.5 mi
- Star City Shores4.326.4 mi
- Escape Lincoln4.824.6 mi
- Memorial Stadium4.824.8 mi
- Pinnacle Bank Arena4.624.4 mi
- Roca Berry Farm4.529 mi
- Lied Center for Performing Arts4.824.8 mi
- The Green Gateau4.524.7 mi
- Branched Oak State Recreation Area4.619 mi
- Junto Wine4.812 mi
- Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center4.819 mi
- Plum Creek Park4.59.1 mi
- World's Largest Time Capsule48.2 mi
- Nebraska Wesleyan University4.727.7 mi
- Museum of American Speed4.923.7 mi
- Lincoln Children's Museum4.725 mi
- International Quilt Museum4.726.5 mi
- University of Nebraska State Museum - Morrill Hall4.725 mi
- Branched Oak State Recreation Area4.619 mi
- Pawnee State Recreation Area4.516 mi
- Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center4.819 mi
- Plum Creek Park4.59.1 mi
- Smith Creek Recreation Area4.57.9 mi
- Branched Oak Marina4.520.3 mi
- Friend Country Club4.612.9 mi
- Sid Dillon Ford - Crete4.417.5 mi
- Lincoln Airport4.222 mi
Theme parks, venues, golf, airports, museums, water and shopping across the area from Google Maps, ranked by popularity within the radius shown.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
Serves as an educational, recreational, and civic focal point in Seward with athletic fields, trails, and cultural events.
Hosts the annual county fair, agricultural expos, and community gatherings throughout the year.
Situated along the eastern border offering boating, camping, fishing, and trail networks serving county residents.
Retrieved via Census Bureau ACS 5-year county-level data profile for Seward County, Nebraska.
applies when — Applies to qualified claimants including certain veterans, individuals with disabilities, and low-income seniors based on income and property value thresholds.
Provides a reduction or exemption of property taxes on the primary residence (homestead) of qualified individuals. The specific exemption amount is determined by income brackets and disability status as defined in state statutes.
Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 77-3501 to 77-3530.
Real property is assessed at or near 100% of actual value, except for agricultural and horticultural land, which is assessed at 75% of actual value. Agricultural land is assessed at 50% of actual value for school bond tax purposes. Taxes are calculated by applying local mill levies to the assessed value.
Nebraska Constitution Article VIII; Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-1344; 2025 Property Assessment Division Annual Report.
Governance registry — every jurisdiction re-researches on a rolling 90-day cycle. Property reports compose these inherited burdens into a per-parcel ledger with conditional determinations. Informational only — not legal advice.