LINCOLN- According to annual estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, which measured growth between mid-2022 and mid-2023, Nebraska's population count stalled or backtracked slightly in several key suburban areas around the state. However, the pace of population growth seemingly picked up in smaller communities located on the very fringes of the state's metro areas.

Demographers call these outer areas exurbs, or places that are "farther out than a suburb but still in or close to a metropolitan area." Josie Schafer, who directs the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said she believes the growth communities like Plattsmouth, Wahoo, and Ashland have experienced is due to post-pandemic remote work opportunities.

Families might also be moving away from the core metropolitan areas of Nebraska for either more affordable or more reclusive housing, said Schafer. "Those suburbs have been growing fast, and that's put pressure on house prices to go up," she said, "Now when folks are looking for somewhere to go, moving farther out might mean a little bit cheaper housing."

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