Are you sick of being a city slicker?
Do you long for life in suburban Nebraska? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.
We do, too.
If you wanted to move out to the suburbs in Nebraska, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Nebraska suburb was best?
No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.
$123,992 median income · $425,558 median home price
Gretna is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 4,441 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$110,200 median income · $527,910 median home price
Data | Movers
$111,679 median income · $409,004 median home price
Located in
Sarpy County, Nebraska
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$96,944 median income · $340,543 median home price
$104,375 median income · $381,940 median home price
$76,875 median income · $360,465 median home price
$89,408 median income · $389,842 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$111,632 median income · $347,206 median home price
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$94,034 median income · $359,874 median home price
$102,396 median income · $534,841 median home price
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
On the map
Where Nebraska’s best suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Cornhusker State
We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Nebraska. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”
First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Nebraska, we looked at every town with at least 1,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.
In other words, suburbs.
We paid particular attention to the following criteria:
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Population Density (Higher is Better)
- Unemployment Rates
- Commute Time
- Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We ranked each suburb in Nebraska across these criteria from one to 28, with one being the best.
We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Nebraska.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Nebraska.
Read on to see why Gretna is the ‘burb with the most, while Crete is probably not the best place to live in Nebraska.
The full plate
The Best Suburbs In Nebraska
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gretna | 9,193 | $123,992 | $425,558 |
| 2 | Valley | 3,174 | $110,200 | $527,910 |
| 3 | Papillion | 25,244 | $111,679 | $409,004 |
| 4 | Ceresco | 1,225 | $96,944 | $340,543 |
| 5 | Hickman | 3,004 | $104,375 | $381,940 |
| 6 | Eagle | 1,259 | $76,875 | $360,465 |
| 7 | Ashland | 3,071 | $89,408 | $389,842 |
| 8 | Waverly | 4,440 | $111,632 | $347,206 |
| 9 | Arlington | 1,467 | $94,034 | $359,874 |
| 10 | Fort Calhoun | 1,173 | $102,396 | $534,841 |
| 11 | Milford | 2,565 | $82,699 | $308,177 |
| 12 | Yutan | 1,832 | $103,350 | $374,208 |
| 13 | Blair | 7,914 | $81,452 | $351,845 |
| 14 | Plattsmouth | 6,731 | $73,929 | $306,416 |
| 15 | Seward | 7,678 | $72,564 | $307,288 |
| 16 | La Vista | 16,563 | $81,961 | $307,597 |
| 17 | Bennet | 1,218 | $105,859 | $408,126 |
| 18 | Springfield | 1,595 | $92,955 | $455,774 |
| 19 | Bennington | 2,366 | $97,500 | $410,275 |
| 20 | Wahoo | 4,929 | $89,457 | $284,196 |
| 21 | Bellevue | 64,510 | $85,462 | $297,049 |
| 22 | Louisville | 1,449 | $94,208 | $348,936 |
| 23 | Ralston | 6,472 | $69,403 | $264,642 |
| 24 | Wilber | 1,936 | $84,712 | $218,320 |
| 25 | Weeping Water | 1,407 | $83,750 | $227,286 |
| 26 | Fremont | 27,567 | $71,152 | $253,066 |
| 27 | Syracuse | 1,990 | $72,404 | $266,499 |
| 28 | Crete | 7,527 | $77,209 | $238,976 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS via Saturday Night Science. 28 Nebraska suburbs within 30 miles of a city over 200,000.
Summary
Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Nebraska
If you’re measuring the locations in Nebraska where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best suburbs in Nebraska are Gretna, Valley, Papillion, Ceresco, Hickman, Eagle, Ashland, Waverly, Arlington, and Fort Calhoun. Not sold on Nebraska? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs In Nebraska FAQs
What is the best suburb in Nebraska?
Gretna is the best suburb to live in Nebraska for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. It pairs a $123,992 median household income with a $425,558 median home value.
What are the best suburbs in Nebraska?
The best suburbs in Nebraska are Gretna, Valley, Papillion, Ceresco, Hickman, Eagle, Ashland, Waverly, Arlington, and Fort Calhoun. We ranked all 28 qualifying Nebraska suburbs.
What counts as a suburb?
For this ranking, a suburb is a town within 30 miles of a city with more than 200,000 people. 28 Nebraska places fit that definition this year.
How do you rank the best suburbs?
Suburbs are scored on home values, income, density, unemployment, commute times, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best average across all eight wins.
Which Nebraska suburb ranked last?
Crete came in last of the 28 Nebraska suburbs we scored. Somebody has to, and the full ordering is in the table above.
