Best PlacesUniversity Place, Lincoln, NE Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University Place, 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.
University Place, Lincoln ranks 3,009th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in University Place, 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.
University Place, Lincoln's strengths and weaknesses
Where University Place, Lincoln ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Short commute18.6 minutes each way, better than 87% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where University Place, Lincoln ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Household income$53,151 median, better than only 19% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 30% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 33% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University Place, Lincoln
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University Place, Lincoln home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $53,151, 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 University Place, Lincoln's effective rate of 1.52%, 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 University Place, Lincoln
University Place, 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 University Place, Lincoln.
Who works in University Place, Lincoln, and how
Work in University Place, Lincoln centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 10%
Life in University Place, Lincoln
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across University Place, Lincoln.
What the weather is like in University Place, Lincoln, month by month
University Place, Lincoln sees roughly 122 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 25° | 17° |
| April | 68° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 69° | 53° | 42° |
Flying in and out of University Place, Lincoln
The nearest airport, Lincoln, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 51 miles away.
The best schools in and around University Place, Lincoln
Schools across University Place, Lincoln average a C+, better than 48% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pershing Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Brownell Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Riley Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mickle Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- Dawes Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Culler Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- Lincoln Northeast High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University Place, Lincoln school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University Place, 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 University Place, Lincoln against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University Place, Lincoln
Is University Place, Lincoln a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University Place, Lincoln ranks 3,009th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, quiet, and short commutes, and lowest on distance from a big city and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University Place, Lincoln expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $183,598. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $53,151 median income, cost of living beats 30% of neighborhoods.
Is University Place, Lincoln safe?
Yes, University Place, Lincoln is safer than 73% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $330 per resident a year.
Compare University Place, Lincoln with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University Place, Lincoln. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University Place, 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.
University Place, Lincoln detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University Place, Lincoln: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University Place, Lincoln: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University Place, Lincoln: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University Place, Lincoln: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University Place, 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.