Best PlacesCentral Omaha, Omaha, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Central Omaha, Omaha, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Central Omaha, Omaha ranks 974th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Central Omaha, Omaha
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.
Central Omaha, Omaha's strengths and weaknesses
Where Central Omaha, Omaha ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.7 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
Where Central Omaha, Omaha ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 57 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 34% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 36% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Central Omaha, Omaha
A household needs to earn about $114,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Central Omaha, Omaha home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $106,955; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Central Omaha, Omaha's effective rate of 1.57%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Central Omaha, Omaha
Central Omaha, Omaha 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 Central Omaha, Omaha.
Who works in Central Omaha, Omaha, and how
Work in Central Omaha, Omaha centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Central Omaha, Omaha
Central Omaha, Omaha has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 89% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Central Omaha, Omaha and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Central Omaha, Omaha, month by month
Central Omaha, Omaha sees roughly 57 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 26° | 19° |
| April | 66° | 53° | 42° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 69° |
| October | 67° | 55° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Central Omaha, Omaha
Eppley Airfield sits about 8 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.6 million passengers in 2025, with 73 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Central Omaha, Omaha
Schools across Central Omaha, Omaha average a B−, better than 62% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Loveland Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Carl A Swanson Elementary SchA · 68% proficient
- Wilson Focus SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Westside Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Lewis & Clark Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
- King Science/tech Magnet Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Westside High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Burke High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Central High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Central Omaha, Omaha school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Central Omaha, Omaha 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 Central Omaha, Omaha against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Central Omaha, Omaha
Is Central Omaha, Omaha a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Central Omaha, Omaha ranks 974th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, health care access, and short commutes, and lowest on the weather and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Central Omaha, Omaha expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $394,690. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $106,955 median income, cost of living beats 90% of neighborhoods.
Is Central Omaha, Omaha safe?
Yes, Central Omaha, Omaha is safer than 71% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $368 per resident a year.
Compare Central Omaha, Omaha with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Central Omaha, Omaha. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Central Omaha, Omaha 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.
Central Omaha, Omaha detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Central Omaha, Omaha: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Central Omaha, Omaha: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Central Omaha, Omaha: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Central Omaha, Omaha: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Central Omaha, Omaha 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.