Should I Move To
Roughly 290,531 people live in Lincoln, Nebraska. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 12% below the national average. Median rent runs about $998/mo; the typical household pulls in $67,846. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 59/100 — a C, putting it at #182 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Lincoln sits at 88 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($998/mo against $67,846 median household income), housing eats roughly 18% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $230,400.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is varied: roughly 87°F in summer, 17°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 29 inches. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Reported crime is somewhat above average, though specific neighborhoods vary widely. AQI runs about 34 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Lincoln is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 57/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (91/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
For retirees, Lincoln isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 54/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (91/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
For remote workers, Lincoln is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 61/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (91/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
For young professionals, Lincoln is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 57/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is environmental quality (91/100); the soft spot is climate (15/100).
Our overall score for Lincoln is 59/100 — a C, sitting at #182 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Lincoln sits at 88 — affordable, 12% below the national average. Median renter pays around $998 a month.
Lincoln runs varied on the weather. Summer's near 87°F, winter's near 17°F; 29 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 63/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 290,531 people live here, with 41% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 33.
Drop Lincoln into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Lincoln with other Nebraska cities scored on UrbRank.
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