Best PlacesDowntown Lincoln, Lincoln, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln, 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.
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln ranks 4,425th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
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.
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute14.8 minutes each way, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Household income$33,316 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
A household needs to earn about $108,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $33,316, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln's effective rate of 1.31%, 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 Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln runs younger 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 Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln.
Who works in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln, and how
Work in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln centers on hospitality & food and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 63%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 31%
Life in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln has more restaurants and bars per resident than 96% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 96% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln, month by month
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln sees roughly 92 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 38, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 26° | 15° |
| April | 69° | 53° | 38° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 65° |
| October | 71° | 55° | 41° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 54 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
Schools across Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln average a C+, better than 47% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Elliott Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Everett Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Mcphee Elementary SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lefler Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Park Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- University Of Nebraska High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Lincoln High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln 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 Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln
Is Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln ranks 4,425th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, short commutes, and state infrastructure, and lowest on civic engagement and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $384,603. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $33,316 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln safe?
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln is safer than 17% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $881 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln 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.
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Lincoln, Lincoln 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.