AreaProfile

Omaha, NE-IA

Metro Area Profile

982,064 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Omaha, NE-IA metropolitan area.

80
Area Score
Top 4% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 1% of 99 published metros92
GrowthTop 13% of 99 published metros71
Housing affordabilityTop 11% of 99 published metros98
Climate88th of 99 published metros59
Physical resilienceTop 44% of 99 published metros62
AccessTop 34% of 99 published metros97
Economic stabilityTop 12% of 99 published metros91
The quick read

Omaha ranks in the top 1% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.1% and median household income of $84,829.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 17% of median household income.

A major airport is 6 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

At a glance

Population
982,064
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$84,829
Top 12% nationally
Density
226/sq mi
4345.7 sq mi of land
Median age
36.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Omaha, NE-IA
Nearest major airport
OMA
6 mi · Eppley Airfield
Median home value
$268,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.1% is lower than 97% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment grew 1.0% over the past year, to 534,289 employed residents.

39% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 87% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 88% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$979$84,829Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$540$45,491Top 13%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.0%Bottom 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute22.3 minBottom 32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher39.3%Top 13%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment534,289Top 50%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)4.0%Top 10%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)1.0%Top 7%June 2026
Labor force551,462Top 50%June 2026
Labor force participation69.7%Top 3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$64,900Bottom 46%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,660Top 48%2025 OEWS
Metro employment498,100Top 50%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.2%Bottom 40%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.1%Bottom 3%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/063.62.1
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.1% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Omaha, NE-IA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers15,580$29,450
Registered Nurses13,200$84,600
Retail Salespersons12,080$33,260
General and Operations Managers11,430$90,620
Stockers and Order Fillers10,490$36,810
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers10,210$58,010

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,192 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.2 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
16.9%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.2×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,192
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$268,600
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.17Bottom 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate66.2%Bottom 28%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±247412,110Top 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$10$1,192Top 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,100$268,600Top 32%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income16.9%Bottom 31%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate5.4%Bottom 5%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
71/ 100
Top 13% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

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 3% since 2020, reaching 1,001,010 in 2024.

At 7.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
7,022
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
7.2
Top 17% nationally
Year over year
−1%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
49.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320241001k969k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 85°F and January a low of 15°F.

0°20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station OMAHA #1, 4.5 miles from this location.
Precipitation
MetricValueSource period
Average January low15°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high85°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing52°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

62 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, hail and strong wind.

HailElevated
TornadoElevated
Strong windModerate
Ice stormModerate
Heat waveElevated
LightningModerate
DroughtModerate

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, cold wave, wildfire, inland flooding, landslide, earthquake.

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.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 6 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Eppley AirfieldOMA6 mi9,502 ft
LincolnLNK50 mi8,649 ft
Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day FldSUX79 mi9,002 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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Area Score
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 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 browse every source.

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