Lexington, NE
Micro Area Profile
26,242 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Lexington, NE micropolitan area.
This profile has not yet met the AreaProfile publication threshold, so it is not offered to search engines. Everything shown below is real measured data; some sections are incomplete.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 9 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable metro and micro areas measured: unemployment is 17.6% and the Opportunity signal places Lexington in the bottom 2%.
In the public schools here, 43% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.2 students for every teacher.
38 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 7% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 17.6% — higher than in all but 1% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.
Employment fell 25.6% over the past year, to 10,835 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$4,3332024 ACS 5-Year | $70,652 | Top 40%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$6,6072024 ACS 5-Year | $39,674 | Top 29%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.8% | Top 29%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.2 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 19.2 min | Top 9%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 18.5% | Bottom 16%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 78.3% | 59th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 10,835 | Bottom 5%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | −26.1% | Bottom 1%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −25.6% | Bottom 1%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 13,152 | 8th percentileof 835 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 83.3% | Top 8%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.1% | 19th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +14.7% | Bottom 1%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 17.6% | Bottom 1%of 835 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.8% | 1st percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
43% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 42% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 13.2 students for every full-time teacher across 19 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington High School | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 915 | 13.9 | 34% | 32% |
| Lexington Middle School | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 672 | 13.7 | 42% | 42% |
| Cozad Elementary School | COZAD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | 432 | 14.4 | 52% | 47% |
| Dudley Elementary School | GOTHENBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 416 | 13.0 | 50% | 57% |
| Bryan Elementary School | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 385 | 16.0 | 42% | 47% |
| Sandoz Elementary School | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 358 | 14.3 | 32% | 32% |
| Gothenburg Secondary School | GOTHENBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 353 | 11.8 | 55% | 50% |
| Morton Elementary School | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 321 | 12.3 | — | — |
| Pershing Elementary School | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 312 | 13.6 | 39% | 36% |
| Early Learning Academy | LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 279 | 25.4 | — | — |
| Cozad High School | COZAD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | 248 | 10.8 | 27% | 37% |
| Cozad Middle School | COZAD COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | 216 | 12.7 | 38% | 41% |
60.3% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Nebraska’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,203 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.30% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $992, some 8% above the $921 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $992 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $39,700 a year, about 56% of the median household income here of $70,652.
The typical renter household here spends 21% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $921 a month.
A median home at $169,200 costs 2.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $79,642, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Lexington’s median household income of $70,652, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.1 | Top 19%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 67.6% | 35th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±832024 ACS 5-Year | 11,170 | 6th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $869 | Top 45%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,265 | Top 22%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $992 | Top 29%of 818 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$292024 ACS 5-Year | $921 | Top 39%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$6,6402024 ACS 5-Year | $169,200 | 28th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1462024 ACS 5-Year | $2,203 | 57th percentileof 933 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$5,1182024 ACS 5-Year | $79,642 | Bottom 45%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.10%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.30% | 78th percentileof 932 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.0% | Top 1%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±1202024 ACS 5-Year | 478 | 33rd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.3% | 72nd percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.4% | 34th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2022024 ACS 5-Year | 1,189 | 7th percentileof 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 26,362 in 2024.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 26,362 residents in 2024, up 0.5% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 38 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
At 1.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.
Population, annual estimates
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 86°F and January a low of 15°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 23.4 inches, including 20.0 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 23.4" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 20.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 15°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 86°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 49°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hail, inland flooding and drought, with hail alone responsible for 40% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, wildfire, ice storm, inland flooding, earthquake, landslide, cold wave, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche, hurricane.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- This is not one of the published profiles, and the sources behind this measure are collected only for the published ones.
- Death-certificate rates
- This is not one of the published profiles, and the sources behind this measure are collected only for the published ones.
- Air quality
- This is not one of the published profiles, and the sources behind this measure are collected only for the published ones.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest North Platte Rgnl/Lee Bird Fld at 52 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 83.7% | Bottom 12%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 52 mi | Bottom 36%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 1 | Bottom 4%of 835 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.6% | Bottom 19%of 935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Platte Rgnl/Lee Bird Fld | LBF | 52 mi | 8,001 ft |
| Lincoln | LNK | 160 mi | 8,649 ft |
| Alliance Muni | AIA | 179 mi | 9,203 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.