Best Places68514, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68514, 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.
68514 ranks 11,545th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68514
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.
68514's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68514 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 68514 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68514
A household needs to earn about $105,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68514 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $90,145, 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 68514's effective rate of 1.39%, 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 68514
68514 runs younger 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 68514.
Who works in 68514, and how
Work in 68514 centers on manufacturing and other services. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 68514
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68514.
What the weather is like in 68514, month by month
68514 sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 25° | 17° |
| April | 68° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 69° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 68514
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 48 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68514
Schools across 68514 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Elementary Sch At ValparaisoB · 48% proficient
- Norwood Park Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Woodrow Wilson Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Intermediate School At Jr/sr High SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Dawes Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Secondary Sch At RaymondB− · 45% proficient
- Thomas Jefferson High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Lincoln Northeast High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68514 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68514 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 68514 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68514
Is 68514 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68514 ranks 11,545th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, few empty homes, and heat safety, and lowest on tree cover and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68514 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $372,216. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $90,145 median income, cost of living beats 83% of zip codes.
Is 68514 safe?
68514 is safer than 24% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $420 per resident a year.
Compare 68514 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68514. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68514 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.
68514 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68514: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68514: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68514: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68514: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68514 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.