Best PlacesColfax County, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Colfax County, 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.
Colfax County ranks 670th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Colfax County
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.
Colfax County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Colfax County ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 98% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 97% of counties
- Local economyBetter than 93% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of counties
- Short commute17.4 minutes each way, better than 90% of counties
Where Colfax County ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 5% of counties
- Tree shadeBetter than only 9% of counties
- Crime safetyBetter than only 16% of counties
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 19% of counties
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 23% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Colfax County
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Colfax County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $86,375, 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 Colfax County's effective rate of 1.10%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Colfax County
Colfax County runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Colfax County.
Who works in Colfax County, and how
Work in Colfax County centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Colfax County
Colfax County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of Colfax County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Colfax County growing, and who is moving in?
Colfax County has grown about 2% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Colorado Springs, CO.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Colfax County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Colfax County, month by month
Colfax County sees roughly 107 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 24° | 16° |
| April | 65° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 66° | 52° | 40° |
Flying in and out of Colfax County
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 49 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 63 miles away.
The best schools in and around Colfax County
Schools across Colfax County average a C+, better than 59% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- North Bend Central Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Leigh Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Schuyler Elementary-fisher'sB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- North Bend Central Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Richland Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Schuyler Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Leigh High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- Howells Senior High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- North Bend Central High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Colfax County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Colfax County 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 Colfax County against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in Colfax County
Is Colfax County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Colfax County ranks 670th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on state finances, walkability, and a strong job market, and lowest on education levels and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Colfax County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $169,374. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $86,375 median income, cost of living beats 90% of counties.
Is Colfax County safe?
Colfax County is safer than 16% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $479 per resident a year.
Compare Colfax County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Colfax County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Colfax County 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.
Colfax County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Colfax County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Colfax County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Colfax County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Colfax County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Colfax County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.