The Omaha metro area: Cass, Douglas, Harrison, Mills, Pottawattamie, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington counties · Population 982,064 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Omaha area
Household size in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.61 | 2.52 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.62 | 2.53 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.61 | 2.51 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.57 | 2.51 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.04 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in the Omaha area average 2.57 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). Household size has edged down from 2.61 in 2006–10, in line with the national trend. Households are largest in the southwest and smallest in the center.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.0 | 37.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.5 | 37.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.4 | 38.3 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 37.7 | 38.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.7 | +0.9 | +2.3 |
The Omaha area is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 37.7, against 40.1 nationally. The median age has climbed from 36.0 in 2006–10, as it has nationally. The Omaha area is younger than the great majority of large metro areas.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.0% | 10.1% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.5% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.9% | 10.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.8% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | +0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in the Omaha area as they are nationally: 10.8%, against 11.6%. Compared with other large metro areas, the Omaha area has a lower share of single-parent households than most.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in the Omaha area
Renters in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.5% | 31.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 33.9% | 33.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.5% | 33.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 33.8% | 33.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | +2.3 pts | +2.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
About a third of households in the Omaha area rent their homes (33.8%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 34.8% have no mortgage at all, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the southwest. The renter share is up 2.3 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.2% | 10.0% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.2% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.8% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 7.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.9 pts | −2.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in the Omaha area than nationally: 6.3%, against 9.6% for the U.S. Vacancy has fallen 2.9 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. The Omaha area has a lower vacancy rate than the great majority of large metro areas.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1973 | 1969 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1974 | 1970 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1975 | 1972 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1979 | 1975 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in the Omaha area was built around 1979, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are newer than in Nebraska overall, where the median home dates to 1975. The median year built has moved up from 1973 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the northwest, while the east has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $844 | $730 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $938 | $805 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,042 | $911 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,337 | $1,159 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$493 | +$429 | +$606 |
The median renter in the Omaha area pays $1,337 a month for rent and utilities, below the national median of $1,571. Still, rents here are higher than in Nebraska overall ($1,159). Rents are up $493 a month from 2006–10, a 58% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 29.9% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in the Omaha area
Bachelor's degrees in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.0% | 29.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.8% | 30.4% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.8% | 32.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 39.7% | 34.9% | 35.6% |
| Change | +5.7 pts | +5.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a bit more common in the Omaha area than nationally: 39.7% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share with a degree has risen 5.7 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 91.2% | 90.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 91.2% | 90.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 91.7% | 91.3% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.5% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.3 pts | +1.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in the Omaha area have finished high school (92.5%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%. The figure for Nebraska is much the same. The share with a diploma is up 1.3 points from 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in the Omaha area
| Period | Omaha area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.8% | 5.1% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.0% | 5.5% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.6% | 3.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 3.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been easier to find in the Omaha area than nationally: unemployment was 3.5%, against 5.4%. Of the 100 large U.S. metro areas, only four have lower unemployment. Unemployment is down 2.2 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Largest cities in the Omaha area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha area (all) | 2.57 | 37.7 | 10.8% | 33.8% | 6.3% | 1979 | $1,337 | 39.7% | 92.5% | 3.5% |
| Council Bluffs | 2.41 | 40.1 | 12.1% | 34.0% | 7.1% | 1968 | $1,083 | 23.4% | 89.4% | 3.9% |
| Bellevue | 2.60 | 36.7 | 11.6% | 33.3% | 5.1% | 1982 | $1,341 | 33.7% | 92.5% | 3.2% |
| Papillion | 2.78 | 39.2 | 6.0% | 24.1% | 3.8% | 2000 | $1,576 | 52.6% | 96.9% | 2.1% |
| Elkhorn | 2.82 | 36.3 | 8.0% | 26.5% | 3.9% | 2007 | $1,742 | 64.1% | 99.0% | 1.3% |
| Fremont | 2.41 | 38.4 | 11.5% | 36.3% | 8.3% | 1965 | $1,083 | 22.3% | 87.7% | 4.1% |
| La Vista | 2.58 | 36.8 | 12.5% | 39.6% | 3.5% | 1993 | $1,312 | 40.1% | 97.2% | 3.8% |
| Bennington | 3.16 | 34.1 | 5.9% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 2012 | $1,613 | 58.7% | 98.7% | 1.8% |
| Gretna | 3.08 | 36.5 | 9.2% | 15.7% | 5.2% | 2004 | $1,451 | 53.3% | 98.7% | 1.8% |
| Plattsmouth | 2.47 | 42.4 | 8.4% | 17.7% | 6.3% | 1978 | $1,142 | 31.8% | 97.0% | 1.3% |
| Blair | 2.47 | 42.5 | 9.6% | 19.6% | 4.8% | 1972 | $921 | 33.9% | 96.8% | 2.4% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Knoxville area · Bakersfield area · Albuquerque area · Greenville area · Bridgeport area · New Orleans area · Tulsa area · Honolulu area · Tucson area · Rochester area
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up the Omaha area. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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