Best PlacesDodge County, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Dodge County, 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.
Dodge County ranks 947th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Dodge 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.
Dodge County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Dodge County ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 98% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 96% of counties
- Local economyBetter than 94% of counties
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of counties
- Short commute18.8 minutes each way, better than 85% of counties
Where Dodge County ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 48 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 1% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than only 14% of counties
- Tree shadeBetter than only 19% of counties
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 35% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Dodge County
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Dodge County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,285, 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 Dodge County's effective rate of 1.33%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Dodge County
Dodge County'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 Dodge County.
Who works in Dodge County, and how
Work in Dodge County centers on manufacturing and health care & social. 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 Dodge County
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Dodge County.
Is Dodge County growing, and who is moving in?
Dodge County has grown about 4% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Omaha, NE.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Dodge County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Dodge County, month by month
Dodge County sees roughly 48 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 Dodge County
Eppley Airfield sits about 35 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 Dodge County
Schools across Dodge County average a C+, better than 57% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- North Bend Central Elementary SchoolA+ · 73% proficient
- Logan View ElementaryA · 68% proficient
- Arlington Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top middle schools
- North Bend Central Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Fremont Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
- Johnson Crossing Academic Center (5-6)D+ · 26% proficient
Top high schools
- Howells Senior High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Arlington High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- North Bend Central High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Dodge County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Dodge 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 Dodge County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Dodge County suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 76% of counties and 5% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Dodge County
Is Dodge County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Dodge County ranks 947th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on state finances, walkability, and a strong job market, and lowest on the weather and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Dodge County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $213,677. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $78,285 median income, cost of living beats 76% of counties.
Is Dodge County safe?
Yes, Dodge County is safer than 59% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $320 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Dodge County?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 35 with lows near 18. That works out to about 48 pleasant days a year, more than 0% of counties.
Is Dodge County good for families?
Schools beat 57% of counties, crime safety beats 59%, and childcare runs $848 a month.
Compare Dodge County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Dodge County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Dodge 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.
Dodge County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Dodge County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Dodge County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Dodge County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Dodge County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Dodge 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.