AreaProfile

Lincoln, Nebraska

Area Profile

294,856 residents. Jobs, income, climate, physical risk, development and airport access for Lincoln, in Lancaster County.

76
Area Score
Top 4% of 133 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 4% of 139 published cities83
GrowthTop 34% of 134 published cities60
Housing affordabilityTop 5% of 150 published cities92
Climate136th of 149 published cities57
Physical resilienceTop 23% of 150 published cities75
Access88th of 149 published cities95
Economic stabilityTop 17% of 150 published cities64
The quick read

Lincoln ranks in the top 4% of published city profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 2.9% and median household income of $71,867.

Housing is more affordable relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 18% of median household income.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published city profiles, placing Lincoln in the top 23% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
294,856
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$71,867
Top 43% nationally
Density
2,916/sq mi
101.1 sq mi of land
Median age
33.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Lancaster County
Nebraska
Metro area
Lincoln, NE
Nearest major airport
LNK
5 mi · Lincoln
Median home value
$264,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 2.9% is lower than 98% of the 140 measured US cities.

Employment grew 0.4% over the past year, to 167,892 employed residents.

42% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 83% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$1,734$71,867Top 43%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$878$39,672Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate12.7%Top 43%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute20.1 minBottom 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher41.8%Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment167,892Top 38%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)3.0%Top 14%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.4%Top 16%June 2026
Labor force172,984Top 40%June 2026
Labor force participation70.0%Top 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$62,980Bottom 28%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,800Bottom 46%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.1%Bottom 42%June 2026
Unemployment rate2.9%Bottom 2%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/063.11.7
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 2.9% in June 2026.
Median household income, successive ACS releases
202120222023202472k63k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $71,867 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Lincoln, NE
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers5,950$28,510
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers4,530$81,790
Registered Nurses4,200$87,530
Retail Salespersons4,080$30,990
General and Operations Managers3,680$92,780
Cashiers3,240$30,690

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 $1,086 takes 18% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.7 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
18.1%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.7×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,086
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$264,000
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.67Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate56.1%Bottom 15%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±406128,449Top 1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$20$1,086Top 41%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$3,473$264,000Top 33%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.1%Bottom 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate4.5%Bottom 26%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
60/ 100
Top 34% of 134 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2020 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 300,619 in 2024.

Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before.

At 6.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
1,911
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
6.5
Top 26% nationally
Year over year
−12%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
54.2%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024301k292k
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.
Housing units permitted per year
2020202120222023202420253k2k
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+27%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 89°F and January a low of 14°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 29.3 inches, including 26.0 inches of snow.

0°20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station LINCOLN MUNI AP, 4.7 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation29.3"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall26.0"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low14°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high89°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing53°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

75 / 100
Physical resilience

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

Strong windElevated
HailHigh
TornadoElevated
Winter weatherModerate
WildfireModerate
LightningModerate
Ice stormModerate
Heat waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, cold wave, drought, landslide, earthquake.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. 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

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 5 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
LincolnLNK5 mi8,649 ft
Eppley AirfieldOMA53 mi9,502 ft
Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day FldSUX111 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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Put Lincoln side by side with a similar place.

Lincoln vs OmahaLincoln vs Kansas CityLincoln vs Sioux FallsLincoln vs Columbus

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.

ZIP codes in Lincoln

5 published ZIP profiles
ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeArea Score
6851648,903$100,82179
6852137,050$67,48374
6850627,531$72,63776
6850225,846$68,52376
6851019,391$65,95175