Best PlacesNebraska Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Nebraska, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime read low across the board, which puts the choice down to which part suits you. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Nebraska ranks 14th of 50 U.S. states on the BestNeighborhood index. It earns the spot by being affordable and steady rather than flashy: everyday costs run well below the national average, and crime is low. The trade is property taxes: the nearest large city and its jobs, flights, and culture are a drive away.
The best neighborhoods in Nebraska
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.
The best areas in Nebraska
The counties of Nebraska, grouped by direction and ranked by the BestNeighborhood standard score across every neighborhood in each. Each note says how that part differs from the rest of the state.
Douglas County & Sarpy County
Big-city amenities are closer, local pay stretches further, and incomes run higher.
Lancaster County
Biking is better, though fewer households have young kids.
Madison County, Platte County & Colfax County
More homes sit empty and fewer adults hold degrees.
Buffalo County & Dawson County
Homes cost less, though tree cover is thinner.
Adams County, Saline County & Jefferson County
Disaster risk is higher.
Dodge County, Dakota County & Washington County
Hall County
Transit reaches fewer jobs.
Scotts Bluff County & Box Butte County
It is quieter, though crime runs higher.
Lincoln County & Cheyenne County
Health outcomes score lower and advertised internet is slower.
Nebraska shows why a single number is not enough. Some neighborhoods score in the bottom 4% of the country and others in the top 1%. Pick the area first, then the home.
Nebraska's strengths and weaknesses
Nebraska lands in the middle because its strengths and weaknesses roughly balance. State finances is the standout, in the top 1% of states. Short commutes and a stable housing market follow.
The drawbacks are real but narrow. Property taxes, tree cover, and distance from a big city hold the score down. Cost swings more from one part of Nebraska to another than it does between Nebraska and its neighbors, which the map below shows.
Where Nebraska ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of states
- Short commute19.2 minutes each way, better than 91% of states
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 83% of states
- Low vacancyBetter than 81% of states
- State infrastructureBetter than 81% of states
Where Nebraska ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of states
- Tree shadeBetter than only 18% of states
- Big-city accessBetter than only 23% of states
- Internet speedBetter than only 26% of states
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 31% of states
What it costs to buy a home in Nebraska
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Nebraska home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,066, 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 Nebraska's effective rate of 1.42%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Nebraska
Nebraska's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Nebraska.
Who works in Nebraska, and how
Work in Nebraska centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in Nebraska
Nebraska has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most states and more parkland per resident than 94% of states. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Nebraska and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Nebraska, month by month
Nebraska sees roughly 87 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° |
The best schools in and around Nebraska
Schools across Nebraska average a B−, better than 77% of states.
Top elementary schools
- Hitchcock Elementary SchoolA+ · 88% proficient
- Blue Sage ElementaryA+ · 88% proficient
- Aldrich ElementaryA+ · 86% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sergeant Bluff-luton Middle SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Elkhorn Valley View Middle SchoolA+ · 79% proficient
- Elkhorn Grandview Middle SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
Top high schools
- Elkhorn South High SchoolA+ · 84% proficient
- Sergeant Bluff-luton Senior High SchoolA · 79% proficient
- Westwood High SchoolA · 76% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Nebraska school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Nebraska 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 Nebraska against the other 49 states.
Who Nebraska suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of states and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Nebraska
Is Nebraska a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Nebraska ranks 14th of 50 states. It scores highest on state finances, short commutes, and a stable housing market, and lowest on property taxes and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Nebraska expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $248,460. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $85,066 median income, cost of living beats 79% of states.
Is Nebraska safe?
Yes, Nebraska is safer than 75% of states. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $303 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Nebraska?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 36 with lows near 19. That works out to about 87 pleasant days a year, more than 50% of states.
What are the best areas in Nebraska?
Using the default rankings, the highest-scoring areas are Douglas County & Sarpy County, Lancaster County, and Madison County, Platte County & Colfax County. The ranked list and the re-weightable map above let you re-sort them for your own priorities.
Is Nebraska good for families?
Schools beat 77% of states, crime safety beats 75%, and childcare runs $983 a month.
Is Nebraska good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of states, though advertised internet speeds beat only 26% of states. About 11% of workers already work from home.
Compare Nebraska with other states
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Nebraska. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Nebraska 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.
Nebraska detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Nebraska: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Nebraska: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Nebraska: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Nebraska: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Nebraska 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.
- 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.