ZIP Code 68945 — Heartwell village, NE Demographics & Data

ZIP code 68945 covers Heartwell, NE in Kearney County with a population of about 162.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 27.5 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 308; U.S. House district NE-3; the LINCOLN & HSTNGS - KRNY media market.

Median household income in ZIP 68945 is about $63,036 — about 16% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 16.7%; unemployment rate near 5.9%; 23.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 10.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Agriculture; about 2.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 13.1 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 93.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $312,500 — about 10% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $621 (about 47% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 57.3% (about 8.1 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 68945 in Heartwell, NE, a household would need roughly $86,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $2,007. That is about 36% above the local median household income ($63,036), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Heartwell village, NE as Very Low (composite score 30.9), which is relatively lower than many U.S. communities. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (21.7) and flood (10.3). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Heartwell village, NE show little to no average snow and around 25.7 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 10 for ZIP 68945 (Heartwell village, NE) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.