Best Places68655, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68655, 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.
68655 ranks 13,458th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68655
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.
68655's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68655 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 68655 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68655
A household needs to earn about $47,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68655 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $79,261, 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 68655's effective rate of 1.16%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 68655
68655's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68655.
Who works in 68655, and how
Work in 68655 centers on agriculture & forestry and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 68655
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68655.
What the weather is like in 68655, month by month
68655 sees roughly 74 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 68655
The nearest airport, Central Nebraska Regional, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 123 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68655
Schools across 68655 average an A−, better than 90% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Boone Central Elem-albionA · 63% proficient
- Riverside Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- West Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- Boone Central Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top high schools
- Sergeant Bluff-luton Senior High SchoolA · 79% proficient
- Boone Central High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- West High SchoolB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68655 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68655 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 68655 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68655
Is 68655 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68655 ranks 13,458th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, good schools, and state infrastructure, and lowest on biking and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68655 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $171,329. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $79,261 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 68655 safe?
68655 is safer than 51% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $299 per resident a year.
Compare 68655 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68655. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68655 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.
68655 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68655: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68655: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68655: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68655: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68655 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.