Omaha has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Omaha without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Omaha: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Omaha for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Omaha? Gretna ranks as the best suburb of Omaha for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Gretna, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Omaha ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Nebraska:
The 10 Best Omaha Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 9,193
Median Income: $123,992
Unemployment Rate: 0.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Gretna: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Gretna is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Omaha area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Gretna.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $123,992 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the Omaha region. And only 0.61% are out of work. Homes average more than $425,558 each.
/10
Population: 40,501
Median Income: $133,240
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Bartlett: Data | Movers
Bartlett is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Omaha for 2026.
It ranks 1st for incomes in the area and only 5.0% of residents lack insurance, good for 9th best.
3. Valley, NE
/10
Population: 3,174
Median Income: $110,200
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Valley: Crime | Movers
Here in Valley, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Omaha metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Valley.
/10
Population: 25,244
Median Income: $111,679
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Papillion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Papillion ranks as the 4th best suburb of Omaha for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Papillion and the schools are some of the best around.
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Coming in as the fifth best is Ashland.
Ashland gets kudos for having the 6th most expensive homes in the Omaha area, where houses sell for an average of $389,841. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
6. Bennington, NE
/10
Population: 2,366
Median Income: $97,500
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Bennington: Movers
Bennington is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 2.97%.
According to online reports, Bennington is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Omaha area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 6,731
Median Income: $73,929
Unemployment Rate: 0.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Plattsmouth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Plattsmouth.
Plattsmouth schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 19.4 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 7,914
Median Income: $81,452
Unemployment Rate: 2.1%
Poverty Rate: 7.8%
More on Blair: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Blair is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.59% of people lack insurance, good for 3rd in the area.
/10
Population: 16,563
Median Income: $81,961
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 7.5%
More on La Vista: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In La Vista?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 5,144
Median Income: $71,790
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 11.8%
More on Glenwood: Data | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Glenwood.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Omaha for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Omaha was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Omaha.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 16 suburbs to evaluate around Omaha.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 16 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Omaha.” We’re lookin’ at you, Gretna.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Omaha suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Omaha ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Omaha are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Omaha but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Nebraska reading, check out:
Table: Best Omaha Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gretna, NE | 9,193 | $123,992 | $425,558 |
| 2 | Bartlett, NE | 40,501 | $133,240 | $430,325 |
| 3 | Valley, NE | 3,174 | $110,200 | $527,910 |
| 4 | Papillion, NE | 25,244 | $111,679 | $409,004 |
| 5 | Ashland, NE | 3,071 | $89,408 | $389,841 |
| 6 | Bennington, NE | 2,366 | $97,500 | $410,275 |
| 7 | Plattsmouth, NE | 6,731 | $73,929 | $306,415 |
| 8 | Blair, NE | 7,914 | $81,452 | $351,844 |
| 9 | La Vista, NE | 16,563 | $81,961 | $307,596 |
| 10 | Glenwood, NE | 5,144 | $71,790 | $310,532 |
| 11 | Ralston, NE | 6,472 | $69,403 | $264,641 |
| 12 | Bellevue, NE | 64,510 | $85,462 | $297,049 |
| 13 | Missouri Valley, NE | 2,666 | $71,818 | $229,884 |
| 14 | Fremont, NE | 27,567 | $71,152 | $253,065 |
| 15 | Carter Lake, NE | 3,767 | $85,349 | $205,604 |
| 16 | Council Bluffs, NE | 62,586 | $64,578 | $223,906 |