Lincoln, Nebraska
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Lincoln.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Lincoln compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 291,932City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $69,991Incorporated place (ACS)11% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 80ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)20% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $248,200City limits (ACS)18% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,045City limits (ACS)22% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 2.6%County LAUS · not city-only1.6 pts below U.S. avgU.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 18 min28% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 4011% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 383annualized per 100k · citywide36% below U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 2750.7annualized per 100k · citywide11% below U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 87°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 17°F17.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 29.3 in11% below U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 270Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Lincoln with another city
Plains weather extremes and a steady agribusiness economy set expectations. Winter lows around 17°F mean heating costs and snow logistics belong on the checklist. Average one-way commute time is about 18 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 40/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 2.6% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. Violent-offense rates around 383 per 100k are moderate for a large U.S. city, with meaningful variation by neighborhood.
Lincoln (pop. 291,932) sits in Nebraska. With median income around $69,991 and a cost index of 80, the market reads among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs. Ownership is a high bar — typical values near $248,200 push many newcomers toward renting first.
Lincoln is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Lincoln with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Lincoln city, 1600000US3128000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN311090000000003 (Lancaster County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00014939 LINCOLN MUNI AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28