Best Places68638, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68638, 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.
68638 ranks 17,421st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 68638
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.
68638's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68638 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Short commute19.5 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 68638 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Household income$55,676 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68638
A household needs to earn about $36,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68638 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,676, 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 68638's effective rate of 1.19%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 68638
68638's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 68638.
Who works in 68638, and how
Work in 68638 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 68638
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68638.
What the weather is like in 68638, month by month
68638 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 64° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 65° | 50° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 68638
The nearest airport, Central Nebraska Regional, is about 32 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 108 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68638
Schools across 68638 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Palmer Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Fullerton Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- West Harrison ElementaryB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Twin River Sr High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Fullerton High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Palmer Junior-senior HighC+ · 37% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68638 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68638 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 68638 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68638
Is 68638 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68638 ranks 17,421st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, walkability, and short commutes, and lowest on disaster risk and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68638 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $129,702. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $55,676 median income, cost of living beats 25% of zip codes.
Is 68638 safe?
68638 is safer than 42% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $331 per resident a year.
Compare 68638 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68638. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68638 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.
68638 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68638: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68638: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68638: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68638: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68638 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.