Merna is a village in Custer County, Nebraska, home to about 383 people across 0.5 square miles. Its ZIP code is 68856.
Mostly Merna
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| Nearest major airport | Eppley Airfield (OMA)203 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | North Platte Regional Airport Lee Bird Field (LBF)51 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Lincoln, NE169 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Dallas, TX620 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Merna; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Merna had 343 residents in the 2020 census, down 12% since 2000.
It’s the 242nd largest of 580 towns in Nebraska by population.
Custer County grew from 19,758 residents in 1900 to 10,545 in 2020.
Custer County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 86°F in summer, and winter lows average 12°F. About 22.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 30 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Broken Bow 2 W, NE weather station (7 miles away).
3,119 jobs at 370 businesses in Custer County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
2 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Merna.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Dentists | 2 |
|---|
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Libraries
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.
Public schools here are run by Anselmo-Merna Public Schools. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anselmo-Merna Elementary-MernaMerna | Pre-K–6 | 145 | Public | 3.5 mi |
| Anselmo-Merna High SchoolMerna | 7–12 | 104 | Public | 3.5 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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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.