Town guide

Harvard, Nebraska

Harvard is a city in Clay County, Nebraska, home to about 1,008 people across 0.6 square miles. Its ZIP code is 68944.

Population1,0081,575 per sq mi
Median home value$102,100Census, as estimated by owners

ZIP codes in Harvard

1 ZIP code

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Around Harvard

Distances

Nearest major airportEppley Airfield (OMA)123 miles away
Closer regional airportCentral Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI)26 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Lincoln, NE75 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+Dallas, TX546 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Harvard; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Harvard

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Harvard had 951 residents in the 2020 census, down 5% since 2000.

It’s the 117th largest of 580 towns in Nebraska by population.

Clay County grew from 15,735 residents in 1900 to 6,104 in 2020.

Harvard population by census2000: 998, 2010: 1,013, 2020: 95199820001,01320109512020

Clay County, 1900–2020

Clay County population, 1900 to 20201900: 15,735, 1910: 15,729, 1920: 14,486, 1930: 13,571, 1940: 10,445, 1950: 8,700, 1960: 8,717, 1970: 8,266, 1980: 8,106, 1990: 7,123, 2000: 7,039, 2010: 6,542, 2020: 6,10416K’00’1014K’20’3010K’40’509K’60’708K’80’907K’00’106K’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 87°F in summer, and winter lows average 16°F. About 30 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 19 inches of snow.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near HarvardJan: high 35°F, low 16°F, 0.6 in; Feb: high 40°F, low 19°F, 0.8 in; Mar: high 52°F, low 29°F, 1.3 in; Apr: high 63°F, low 39°F, 2.6 in; May: high 73°F, low 50°F, 5.3 in; Jun: high 84°F, low 61°F, 4.2 in; Jul: high 87°F, low 66°F, 4.2 in; Aug: high 85°F, low 63°F, 3.9 in; Sep: high 78°F, low 54°F, 2.3 in; Oct: high 66°F, low 41°F, 2.4 in; Nov: high 51°F, low 29°F, 1.4 in; Dec: high 39°F, low 20°F, 1 in35°16°Jan0.640°19°Feb0.852°29°Mar1.363°39°Apr2.673°50°May5.384°61°Jun4.287°66°Jul4.285°63°Aug3.978°54°Sep2.366°41°Oct2.451°29°Nov1.439°20°Dec1.0Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Clay Ctr, NE weather station (7 miles away).

Jobs in Clay County

1,062 jobs at 183 businesses in Clay County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Clay CountyConstruction: 227 jobs; Wholesale trade: 161 jobs; Retail trade: 157 jobs; Transportation and warehousing: 120 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 92 jobs; Finance and insurance: 64 jobs; Manufacturing: 62 jobs; Other services: 57 jobsConstruction 21% Wholesale trade 15% Retail trade 15% Transportation and warehousing 11% Health care and social assistance 9% Finance and insurance 6% Manufacturing 6% Other services 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

Nearest hospitals

  • Mary Lanning HealthcareGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 2 of 5 · Hastings16.1 miles
  • Memorial HospitalCritical access hospital · emergency room · Aurora17.4 miles
  • Henderson Community HospitalCritical access hospital · emergency room · Henderson18.1 miles

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances.

Places in and around Harvard

Parks (1 nearby)

  • Harvard City Park · 2 acres0.6 mi

Libraries (1 nearby)

  • Harvard Public Library0.8 mi

Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Schools in Harvard

Public schools here are run by Harvard Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (3)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
Harvard Elementary SchoolHarvardPre-K–591Public0.4 mi
Harvard Middle SchoolHarvard6–853Public0.4 mi
Harvard High SchoolHarvard9–1250Public0.4 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Where Harvard is

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Towns near Harvard

All Nebraska towns →

Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.