McCook, Nebraska
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Down 3.5% since 2020.
7,157
people, the 25th-largest of Nebraska's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Nebraska's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
5 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
51.4%
of 4,233 jobs located in McCook are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 58% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$823
a month. Nebraska's median is $1,072.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $147.
A $147 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Red Willow County.
- $788 Tract 9631
- $935 Tract 9632
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$915–$1,373
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $823 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 43 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 37% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 95% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.1% to the 3,730 homes here.
10–42
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 35% less than Nebraska's.
$154,300
median home value in McCook.
- $154,300 McCook
- $238,600 Nebraska
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year