Now that we’re headed towards the next big election, we wanted to get a better sense of what parts of Nebraska would be the most likely to back Donald Trump again.
Specifically, which cities have the highest number of conservative voters in the Cornhusker State?
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to measure how each city in Nebraska with populations greater than 5,000 voted in past elections. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Republican were named the most conservative cities in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
If you’re wondering, Ralston is the most liberal city in Nebraska of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most conservative cities in Nebraska.
Additional reading about Nebraska and the most conservative places in the country:
The 10 Most Conservative Places In Nebraska For 2023
Percent Republican: 83.0%
More on Mccook: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 83.0%
More on Holdrege: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 80.0%
More on Sidney: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 77.8%
More on Columbus: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 77.2%
More on Alliance: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 76.4%
More on North Platte: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 75.7%
More on Norfolk: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 74.7%
More on York: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 72.7%
More on Wayne: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Percent Republican: 71.1%
More on Chadron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
How we determined the most conservative cities in Nebraska for 2023
To find the most conservative places in Nebraska, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most conservatives.
We started by making a list of every city in Nebraska over 5,000 people based on the 2017-2021 American Community Survey. That left us with 32 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places rock the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For The Republican President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Republicans, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 32 for each criterion, where number one was the most conservative.
The winner, Mccook, is “The Most Conservative City in Nebraska For 2023”. The most liberal place in Nebraska was Ralston.
We updated this article for 2023. This report is our tenth time ranking the most conservative places to live in Nebraska.
Summing Up The Conservative Strongholds in Nebraska
Well, there you have it, the places in Nebraska that have the highest number of conservatives per capita, with Mccook ranking as the most conservative in the entire state.
If you’re curious, here are the least conservative cities in Nebraska:
- Ralston
- Omaha
- Lincoln
For more Nebraska reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Nebraska
- Cheapest Places To Live In Nebraska
- Most Dangerous Cities In Nebraska
- Richest Cities In Nebraska
- Safest Places In Nebraska
- Worst Places To Live In Nebraska
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Nebraska
Most Conservative Places In Nebraska
| Rank | City | % Conservative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mccook, NE | 83.0% |
| 2 | Holdrege, NE | 83.0% |
| 3 | Sidney, NE | 80.0% |
| 4 | Columbus, NE | 77.8% |
| 5 | Alliance, NE | 77.2% |
| 6 | North Platte, NE | 76.4% |
| 7 | Norfolk, NE | 75.7% |
| 8 | York, NE | 74.7% |
| 9 | Wayne, NE | 72.7% |
| 10 | Chadron, NE | 71.1% |
| 11 | Lexington, NE | 71.1% |
| 12 | Seward, NE | 71.0% |
| 13 | Schuyler, NE | 70.9% |
| 14 | Scottsbluff, NE | 70.8% |
| 15 | Gering, NE | 70.8% |
| 16 | Kearney, NE | 70.5% |
| 17 | Blair, NE | 69.1% |
| 18 | Hastings, NE | 69.1% |
| 19 | Nebraska City, NE | 67.9% |
| 20 | Beatrice, NE | 67.3% |
| 21 | Grand Island, NE | 66.4% |
| 22 | Plattsmouth, NE | 66.2% |
| 23 | Fremont, NE | 65.1% |
| 24 | Crete, NE | 62.9% |
| 25 | South Sioux City, NE | 57.8% |
| 26 | Bellevue, NE | 54.3% |
| 27 | Papillion, NE | 54.3% |
| 28 | La Vista, NE | 54.3% |
| 29 | Gretna, NE | 54.3% |
| 30 | Lincoln, NE | 44.9% |
| 31 | Omaha, NE | 43.3% |
| 32 | Ralston, NE | 43.3% |
