Best Places68654, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68654, 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.
68654 ranks 12,352nd 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 68654
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.
68654's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68654 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 143 pleasant days a year, better than 87% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Short commute21.4 minutes each way, better than 79% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 68654 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 29% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68654
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68654 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $70,247, 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 68654's effective rate of 0.90%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 68654
68654 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68654.
Who works in 68654, and how
Work in 68654 centers on agriculture & forestry and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 68654
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68654.
What the weather is like in 68654, month by month
68654 sees roughly 143 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 25° | 17° |
| April | 65° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 66° | 52° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 68654
The nearest airport, Central Nebraska Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 100 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68654
Schools across 68654 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Cross County Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- High Plains Community Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Carter Lake Elementary SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cross County Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
Top high schools
- Cross County High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- High Plains Community Jr/sr High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68654 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68654 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 68654 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68654
Is 68654 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68654 ranks 12,352nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, the weather, and state infrastructure, and lowest on tree cover and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68654 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $155,713. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $70,247 median income, cost of living beats 55% of zip codes.
Is 68654 safe?
Yes, 68654 is safer than 69% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $247 per resident a year.
Compare 68654 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68654. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68654 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.
68654 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68654: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68654: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68654: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68654: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68654 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.