Best Places68659, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68659, 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.
68659 ranks 15,768th 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 68659
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.
68659's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68659 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Short commute20.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 68659 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68659
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68659 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,583, 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 68659's effective rate of 1.20%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 68659
68659 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 68659.
Who works in 68659, and how
Work in 68659 centers on agriculture & forestry and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in 68659
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 68659.
What the weather is like in 68659, month by month
68659 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 25° | 18° |
| April | 66° | 51° | 40° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 67° | 53° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 68659
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 55 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68659
Schools across 68659 average a B−, better than 54% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Bend Central Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Schuyler Elementary-fisher'sB · 50% proficient
- Schuyler Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- North Bend Central Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Schuyler Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- North Bend Central High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
- Schuyler Central High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68659 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68659 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 68659 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68659
Is 68659 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68659 ranks 15,768th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, civic engagement, and state infrastructure, and lowest on biking and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68659 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $200,000. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $84,583 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 68659 safe?
68659 is safer than 15% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $496 per resident a year.
Compare 68659 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68659. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68659 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.
68659 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68659: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68659: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68659: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68659: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68659 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.