Best Places68517, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68517, 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.
68517 ranks 9,980th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68517
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.
68517's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68517 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 68517 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68517
A household needs to earn about $119,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68517 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $112,702; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 68517's effective rate of 1.32%, 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 68517
68517 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68517.
Who works in 68517, and how
Work in 68517 centers on other services and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in 68517
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68517.
What the weather is like in 68517, month by month
68517 sees roughly 126 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 68517
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 45 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68517
Schools across 68517 average a B, better than 68% 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 68517 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68517 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 68517 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68517
Is 68517 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68517 ranks 9,980th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, few empty homes, and civic engagement, and lowest on a weak job market and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68517 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $423,669. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $112,702 median income, cost of living beats 93% of zip codes.
Is 68517 safe?
68517 is safer than 23% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $431 per resident a year.
Compare 68517 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68517. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68517 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.
68517 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68517: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68517: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68517: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68517: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68517 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.