Best Places68978, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 68978, 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.
68978 ranks 18,887th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 68978
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.
68978's strengths and weaknesses
Where 68978 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Short commute14.7 minutes each way, better than 97% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 90% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 68978 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 68978
A household needs to earn about $24,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 68978 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,708, 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 68978'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 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 68978
68978 runs older than the country, 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 68978.
Who works in 68978, and how
Work in 68978 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 87%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 68978
68978 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 68978 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 68978, month by month
68978 sees roughly 113 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 27° | 19° |
| April | 68° | 53° | 41° |
| July | 89° | 77° | 67° |
| October | 69° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 68978
The nearest airport, Central Nebraska Regional, is about 66 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 144 miles away.
The best schools in and around 68978
Schools across 68978 average a C−, better than 22% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rock Hills Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Deshler Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Superior Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Superior Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Pike Valley Jr HighD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Deshler High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Superior Sr High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Pike Valley HighC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 68978 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
68978 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 68978 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 68978
Is 68978 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 68978 ranks 18,887th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, state finances, and short commutes, and lowest on distance from a big city and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 68978 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $88,823. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $67,708 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 68978 safe?
68978 is safer than 23% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $445 per resident a year.
Compare 68978 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 68978. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 68978 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.
68978 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 68978: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 68978: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 68978: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 68978: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
68978 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.