Best places to live in Nebraska (2026)

All 4 ranked places in Nebraska, by all-round score.

Ranked by an all-round score: the average of all 14 quality scores (housing costs, taxes, jobs, healthcare, education, family life, safety, natural disasters, climate and more), weighted equally. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out, since their safety is unknown. Scores are out of 100.

1. 1Bellevue, NESuburb · 3-bed $288k · very safe64
2. 2Lincoln, NEMid-size city · 3-bed $290k · safe59
3. 3Omaha, NEBig city · 3-bed $278k · moderate crime58
4. 4Grand Island, NESmall city · 3-bed $268k · safe45

Cheapest places to live in Nebraska

Ranked by the typical value of a 3-bedroom home (Zillow), lowest first.

1. 1Grand Island, NESmall city · rent $1,530/mo · cost of living 87$268k
2. 2Omaha, NEBig city · rent $1,810/mo · cost of living 92$278k
3. 3Bellevue, NESuburb · rent $1,810/mo · cost of living 92$288k
4. 4Lincoln, NEMid-size city · rent $1,590/mo · cost of living 92$290k

Safest places to live in Nebraska

Ranked by violent crimes per resident in FBI 2019 data, lowest first. Places missing from the FBI table are left out.

1. 1Bellevue, NESuburb · violent crime 0.5× the US rate204 per 100k
2. 2Lincoln, NEMid-size city · violent crime 1.0× the US rate383 per 100k
3. 3Grand Island, NESmall city · violent crime 1.2× the US rate455 per 100k
4. 4Omaha, NEBig city · violent crime 1.6× the US rate613 per 100k

Safest places from natural disasters in Nebraska

Ranked by our natural disaster score: FEMA's expected deaths, injuries and home damage from 18 hazards, plus federally declared disasters in the county since 2000.

1. 1Lincoln, NE9 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly tornadoes, flooding69
2. 2Grand Island, NE7 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes69
3. 3Bellevue, NE13 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly tornadoes, flooding59
4. 4Omaha, NE16 declared disasters since 2000 · mainly flooding, tornadoes57

Best places to live for families in Nebraska

Ranked by a family score: the average of our Kids & family, Safety, Education and Affordable housing scores. Places missing from the FBI crime table are left out.

1. 1Bellevue, NESuburb · kids excellent · safety excellent · 3-bed $288k77
2. 2Omaha, NEBig city · kids good · safety average · 3-bed $278k65
3. 3Lincoln, NEMid-size city · kids average · safety good · 3-bed $290k64
4. 4Grand Island, NESmall city · kids good · safety good · 3-bed $268k55

Best places to live · Cheapest places to live · Safest places to live · Safest places from natural disasters · Best places to live for families

Data: US Census, Zillow, HUD, BEA, FBI 2019, FEMA, NOAA, NASA, CMS, NCES and others. How scores work.