What’s the best part of Lincoln? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Lincoln are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Lincoln neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to Nebraska and Lincoln is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$104,415 median income · $300,620 median home value
$101,066 median income · $270,400 median home value
$125,612 median income · $339,200 median home value
$86,850 median income · $252,300 median home value
$112,165 median income · $288,300 median home value
$79,478 median income · $200,000 median home value
$70,764 median income · $202,500 median home value
$86,161 median income · $208,875 median home value
$80,441 median income · $166,000 median home value
$64,384 median income · $201,700 median home value
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
Nebraska statewide median: $76,475
Nebraska statewide median: $276,500
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Lincoln, NE neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Lincoln, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 37 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Lincoln.” We’re lookin’ at you, Family Acres.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Lincoln, Nebraska has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Lincoln.
The full plate
Table: Best Lincoln neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Family Acres | 8,801 | $300,620 | $104,415 |
| 2 | Porter Ridge | 1,223 | $270,400 | $101,066 |
| 3 | Yankee Ridge | 133 | $339,200 | $125,612 |
| 4 | Southern Hills | 495 | $252,300 | $86,850 |
| 5 | Crown Pointe | 637 | $288,300 | $112,165 |
| 6 | Maple Village-Wedgewood | 805 | $200,000 | $79,478 |
| 7 | Taylor Park | 481 | $202,500 | $70,764 |
| 8 | Country Club | 6,101 | $208,875 | $86,161 |
| 9 | Bicentennial Estates | 782 | $166,000 | $80,441 |
| 10 | Autumn Wood | 382 | $201,700 | $64,384 |
| 11 | Amber Hills | 152 | $249,300 | $107,756 |
| 12 | Highlands | 5,605 | $174,150 | $88,394 |
| 13 | Meadowlane | 5,012 | $158,800 | $75,475 |
| 14 | Indian Village | 2,822 | $149,467 | $63,241 |
| 15 | High Ridge-Cushman | 1,742 | $143,800 | $71,654 |
| 16 | Greater South | 3,287 | $142,750 | $67,737 |
| 17 | Antelope Park | 793 | $128,000 | $64,244 |
| 18 | 40th And A | 4,085 | $129,900 | $56,031 |
| 19 | West A | 10,307 | $154,500 | $70,361 |
| 20 | Far South | 164 | $174,900 | $59,330 |
| 21 | Near South | 9,926 | $154,643 | $42,556 |
| 22 | Woods Park | 3,701 | $119,200 | $38,838 |
| 23 | South 48th Street | 5,319 | $148,817 | $50,911 |
| 24 | Capitol Beach | 759 | $130,800 | $58,870 |
| 25 | University Place | 11,359 | $126,690 | $48,097 |
| 26 | Landons | 552 | $148,800 | $42,917 |
| 27 | Belmont | 5,797 | $109,180 | $52,129 |
| 28 | Downtown | 5,854 | $132,357 | $29,614 |
| 29 | South Salt Creek | 3,898 | $86,867 | $44,516 |
| 30 | Salt Valley View | 180 | $179,300 | $86,125 |
| 31 | Everett | 3,308 | $112,333 | $35,902 |
| 32 | East Campus | 1,875 | $135,267 | $53,784 |
| 33 | Clinton | 5,746 | $99,350 | $35,363 |
| 34 | Hartley | 4,049 | $94,975 | $38,687 |
| 35 | Malone | 3,078 | $105,000 | $32,164 |
| 36 | Arnold Heights | 961 | $139,100 | $53,282 |
| 37 | North Bottoms | 1,222 | $89,450 | $31,203 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 37 Lincoln neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Lincoln
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Lincoln where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Lincoln are Family Acres, Porter Ridge, Yankee Ridge, Southern Hills, Crown Pointe, Maple Village-Wedgewood, Taylor Park, Country Club, Bicentennial Estates, and Autumn Wood.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Lincoln aren’t all good. North Bottoms takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Lincoln.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Nebraska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Lincoln FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Lincoln?
Family Acres is the best neighborhood in Lincoln for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Porter Ridge and Yankee Ridge are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Lincoln?
The best neighborhoods in Lincoln are Family Acres, Porter Ridge, Yankee Ridge, Southern Hills, Crown Pointe, Maple Village-Wedgewood, Taylor Park, Country Club, Bicentennial Estates, and Autumn Wood. We ranked all 37 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Family Acres?
The median household income in Family Acres is $104,415 and the median home costs $300,620. The best blocks in Lincoln rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Lincoln neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Family Acres, takes the top spot.
Which Lincoln neighborhood ranked last?
North Bottoms came in last of the 37 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Lincoln the numbers put it there.
