Best Places68042, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68042, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
68042 ranks 9,834th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68042
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.
68042's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68042 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 81% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 68042 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 60 pleasant days a year, better than only 8% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68042
A household needs to earn about $113,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68042 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $89,688, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 68042's effective rate of 1.10%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 68042
68042's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68042.
Who works in 68042, and how
Work in 68042 centers on construction and admin & support services. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 68042
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68042.
What the weather is like in 68042, month by month
68042 sees roughly 60 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 25° | 17° |
| April | 66° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 68042
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 32 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68042
Schools across 68042 average a B+, better than 78% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ashland-greenwood Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Mead Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Ashland-greenwood Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Ashland-greenwood High SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- Mead High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68042 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68042 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 68042 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68042
Is 68042 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68042 ranks 9,834th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low crime, and state infrastructure, and lowest on internet speeds and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68042 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $415,900. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $89,688 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 68042 safe?
Yes, 68042 is safer than 99% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $132 per resident a year.
Compare 68042 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68042. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68042 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.
68042 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68042: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68042: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68042: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68042: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68042 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.