What it's like to live in Fremont
Fremont is a small city in Nebraska with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fremont deals with college degree attainment below the national average, cold, harsh winters, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Low college degree attainment
- Cold, harsh winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Fremont compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fremont
Based on Fremont's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,160
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $43,200 a year
- 33% of Fremont renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$42,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $21,470
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,080/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,080 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $214,700. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $214,700 · 33% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 30% below US
3.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.0%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 39% below US
200 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1500/100k · Fremont Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 33% below US
17 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.4 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 16°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 39% below US
22% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 22%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
14 public schools inside the boundary
There are 14 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail (32 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Fremont's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are college degree attainment below the national average and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($1,080/mo) equals 18% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers, and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Fremont
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