Best Places68417, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68417, 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.
68417 ranks 7,461st 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 68417
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.
68417's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68417 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Short commute20.4 minutes each way, better than 83% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 82% of zip codes
Where 68417 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68417
A household needs to earn about $75,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68417 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $98,157, 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 68417's effective rate of 1.25%, 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 68417
68417 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68417.
Who works in 68417, and how
Work in 68417 centers on health care & social and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in 68417
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68417.
What the weather is like in 68417, month by month
68417 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 66° | 52° | 42° |
| July | 86° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 67° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 68417
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 41 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68417
Schools across 68417 average an A−, better than 82% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Conestoga Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Elementary School At SyracuseB+ · 55% proficient
Top middle schools
- Middle School At SyracuseA · 62% proficient
- Nebraska City Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- High School At SyracuseA− · 60% proficient
- Conestoga Jr/sr High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Nebraska City High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68417 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68417 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 68417 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68417
Is 68417 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68417 ranks 7,461st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, what local pay buys, and state infrastructure, and lowest on the weather and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68417 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $270,603. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $98,157 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 68417 safe?
Yes, 68417 is safer than 65% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $261 per resident a year.
Compare 68417 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68417. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68417 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.
68417 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68417: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68417: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68417: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68417: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68417 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.