Best Places68301, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68301, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
68301 ranks 5,445th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68301
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.
68301's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68301 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Household income$114,840 median, better than 88% of zip codes
Where 68301 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 58 pleasant days a year, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Short commute32.0 minutes each way, better than only 20% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 28% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68301
A household needs to earn about $91,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68301 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $114,840, 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 68301's effective rate of 1.12%, 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 68301
68301'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 68301.
Who works in 68301, and how
Work in 68301 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 68301
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68301.
What the weather is like in 68301, month by month
68301 sees roughly 58 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 26° | 18° |
| April | 67° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 89° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 69° | 55° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 68301
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 29 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 66 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68301
Schools across 68301 average an A−, better than 81% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Norris Intermediate SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- Freeman Elementary-adamsB+ · 55% proficient
- Elementary At BennetB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hamburg Middle SchoolA · 62% proficient
- Norris Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Freeman High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Norris High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Jr-sr High School At PalmyraB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68301 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68301 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 68301 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68301
Is 68301 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68301 ranks 5,445th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, civic engagement, and low crime, and lowest on the weather and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68301 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $335,363. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $114,840 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 68301 safe?
Yes, 68301 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $177 per resident a year.
Compare 68301 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68301. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68301 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.
68301 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68301: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68301: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68301: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68301: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68301 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.