Best Places68949, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68949, 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.
68949 ranks 8,568th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68949
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.
68949's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68949 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute14.2 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 68949 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68949
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68949 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,330, 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 68949's effective rate of 1.25%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 68949
68949'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 68949.
Who works in 68949, and how
Work in 68949 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 68949
68949 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 74% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 68949 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 68949, month by month
68949 sees roughly 132 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 27° | 19° |
| April | 66° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 67° | 52° | 41° |
Flying in and out of 68949
The nearest airport, Kearney Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 191 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68949
Schools across 68949 average a B+, better than 72% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Axtell Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Holdrege Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Elm Creek Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Holdrege Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
Top high schools
- Loomis Secondary SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Holdrege High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Axtell High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68949 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68949 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 68949 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68949
Is 68949 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68949 ranks 8,568th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, short commutes, and walkability, and lowest on distance from a big city and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68949 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $193,349. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $65,330 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 68949 safe?
Yes, 68949 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $296 per resident a year.
Compare 68949 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68949. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68949 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.
68949 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68949: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68949: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68949: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68949: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68949 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.