Poll highlights lack of housing options in rural Nebraska

According to the 2024 Nebraska Rural Poll, most rural Nebraskans see housing as important to the growth of their community; however, most also think their community lacks options for rentals and home purchases. 

Ninety percent of rural Nebraskans surveyed agree that high-quality, affordable housing is important for community growth. Most also agree that inadequate housing options result in worker shortages locally. A slight majority (52%) believe their community should invest public resources to support the availability of housing.

In addition, many respondents disagree that it is affordable for a person working in their profession to purchase a home in their community. More than 40% strongly disagree or disagree with that statement, while less than 40% agree or strongly agree.

After assessing the importance of housing to their community, respondents were asked to rate the adequacy of various housing types locally. Only a slight majority of those surveyed say the construction of new homes is either adequate or more than enough. Most respondents feel there is not enough of the following types of housing in their community: homes available for rent (60%), move-in ready homes available for rent (56%), existing homes available for purchase (55%), move-in ready homes available for purchase (54%) and safe and affordable apartments available for rent (54%). Many rural Nebraskans believe there are adequate or more than enough assisted living and long-term care units for seniors in their community, according to the poll.

Perceptions of the lack of some types of housing have worsened since these questions were last asked in 2016, said Becky Vogt, Rural Poll manager. This year, rural Nebraskans are less likely to say there are adequate move-in ready homes available for rent or existing homes available for purchase in their community than they did in 2016. The proportion rating the number of move-in ready homes available for rent as adequate declined from 40% in 2016 to 25% this year. The proportion rating existing homes available for purchase as adequate declined from 39% to 30%.

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“Clearly the Rural Poll results are reinforcing what we hear at virtually every community meeting across the state: Available housing is getting harder and harder to find in rural communities,” said Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, a Nebraska Extension specialist with Rural Prosperity Nebraska.

The housing shortages seem to be affecting larger communities and the north-central region in particular, according to the poll. Respondents from larger communities are more likely to say there is not enough of most types of housing. However, those from the smallest communities are most likely to say that rental housing, move-in ready homes ready for purchase, housing for persons earning low-to-moderate incomes and various types of senior housing are not available in their communities. 

“Building housing is just like any other business venture; it is based on profitability,” said Jason Tuller, a Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension educator. “Builders make more money if they can do multiple projects in the same area. A new subdivision with 20 homes of similar size is much more profitable than finding 20 fill-in lots in five different communities. I realize that this is a solution that many small communities are looking into, but they discover that there are very significant economic hurdles to overcome that do not exist in larger communities.”

When comparing responses by region, respondents from the north-central region were most likely to cite not having enough of most of the housing options listed. For example, slightly more than three-quarters of the area’s residents say there are none available or not enough existing homes for purchase, compared to just over half of persons living in the Panhandle or northeast regions. 

When asked what housing programs or priorities they would support, most rural Nebraskans surveyed pointed to programs that would help seniors stay in their homes, help upgrade existing homes, develop senior housing, provide affordable rental housing and remove dilapidated housing. At least three-quarters of respondents would somewhat support or strongly support the following in their community: develop programs to help seniors age in their current home (88%); offer low-interest loans or grants for repair, rehabilitation or home improvement (84%); provide affordable rental housing (82%); establish a local program that would purchase and remove dilapidated houses, making lots available for building (77%); develop senior housing (77%); purchase, rehabilitate and resell vacant housing (76%); and establish a local program that would purchase and remove dilapidated houses and build new homes available for purchase (76%). Less than half support the following: develop more downtown, upper-story living above commercial buildings (45%), start a local investment club to fund housing projects (36%) and offer free lots to people willing to build homes to sell (28%). 

“Housing is a very complicated problem to solve, and many programs help one group of people but may hinder another group,” Tuller said. “The Rural Poll found that 88% of Nebraskans support programs that help seniors stay in their homes. A program that would help do this would be great for seniors. On the other hand, when a single senior woman is living in a three-bed, two-bath home, that prevents it from being available to a family of four. New homes cost more than $250,000 to build, but older homes are much more reasonably priced for a family. It is difficult to find the right balance in programs for communities.”

To learn more about rural Nebraskans’ perceptions of the housing in their communities, policymakers, community leaders and members of the public are invited to a Rural Poll webinar at noon Central Dec. 19. More details and registration are available here.

The Rural Poll is the largest annual poll gauging rural Nebraskans’ perceptions about policy and quality of life. Questionnaires were mailed to more than 5,800 households in Nebraska in late spring and summer, with 1,010 households — representing 86 of the state’s 93 counties — responding. The margin of error for the poll is plus-or-minus 3%. Rural Prosperity Nebraska conducts the poll with funding from Nebraska Extension.