Best Places69041, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 69041, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
69041 ranks 17,330th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 69041
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
69041's strengths and weaknesses
Where 69041 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute19.5 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 69041 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 69041
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 69041 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,188, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 69041's effective rate of 0.90%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 69041
69041 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 69041.
Who works in 69041, and how
Work in 69041 centers on agriculture & forestry and public administration. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 69041
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 69041.
What the weather is like in 69041, month by month
69041 sees roughly 131 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 28° | 17° |
| April | 68° | 49° | 34° |
| July | 93° | 76° | 62° |
| October | 70° | 51° | 36° |
Flying in and out of 69041
The nearest airport, North Platte Regional/Lee Bird Field, is about 87 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 158 miles away.
The best schools in and around 69041
Schools across 69041 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chase County Elementary SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Benkelman Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Wray Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Chase County High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Dundy Co Stratton High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Wray Junior Senior High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 69041 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
69041 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 69041 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 69041
Is 69041 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 69041 ranks 17,330th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, clean air, and short commutes, and lowest on biking and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 69041 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $158,900. The overall cost of living runs about 24% below the national average. Set against a $62,188 median income, cost of living beats 62% of zip codes.
Is 69041 safe?
69041 is safer than 29% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $392 per resident a year.
Compare 69041 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 69041. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 69041 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
69041 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 69041: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 69041: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 69041: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 69041: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
69041 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.