Best Places68020, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68020, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
68020 ranks 17,122nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68020
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
68020's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68020 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 70% of zip codes
Where 68020 ranks low
- Household income$52,172 median, better than only 13% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68020
A household needs to earn about $47,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68020 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,172, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 68020's effective rate of 1.15%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 68020
68020 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68020.
Who works in 68020, and how
Work in 68020 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 68020
68020 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 98% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 68020 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 68020, month by month
68020 sees roughly 98 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 23° | 15° |
| April | 66° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 88° | 76° | 65° |
| October | 67° | 52° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 68020
The nearest airport, Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day Field, is about 29 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 51 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68020
Schools across 68020 average a B, better than 69% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- West Monona ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Elementary School At TekamahB · 50% proficient
- Oakland Craig ElementaryB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- West Monona Middle SchA · 60% proficient
Top high schools
- West Monona High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
- Oakland Craig Junior-senior HighB+ · 55% proficient
- Northeast Secondary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68020 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68020 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 68020 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68020
Is 68020 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68020 ranks 17,122nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low crime, and state infrastructure, and lowest on low incomes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68020 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $173,042. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $52,172 median income, cost of living beats 17% of zip codes.
Is 68020 safe?
Yes, 68020 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $171 per resident a year.
Compare 68020 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68020. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68020 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
68020 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68020: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68020: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68020: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68020: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68020 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.