Lincoln’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Lincoln.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Nebraska thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Lincoln. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Lincoln neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Lincoln hoods need a little tender loving care. We examined 35 of Lincoln’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live.
$31,203 median income
$53,282 median income
$32,164 median income
$38,687 median income
$35,363 median income
$53,784 median income
$86,125 median income
$35,902 median income
$29,614 median income
$44,516 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nebraska’s statewide median.
Nebraska statewide median: $276,500
Nebraska statewide median: $76,475
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Lincoln neighborhoods in 2026
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Lincoln:
- High crime (Estimated)
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Lincoln, Nebraska for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”
The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Lincoln.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. Skip to the end to see the list of all 35 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
The full plate
Most dangerous neighborhoods to live in Lincoln for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Bottoms | 1,222 | $89,450 | $31,203 |
| 2 | Arnold Heights | 961 | $139,100 | $53,282 |
| 3 | Malone | 3,078 | $105,000 | $32,164 |
| 4 | Hartley | 4,049 | $94,975 | $38,687 |
| 5 | Clinton | 5,746 | $99,350 | $35,363 |
| 5 | East Campus | 1,875 | $135,267 | $53,784 |
| 7 | Salt Valley View | 180 | $179,300 | $86,125 |
| 8 | Everett | 3,308 | $112,333 | $35,902 |
| 9 | Downtown | 5,854 | $132,357 | $29,614 |
| 10 | South Salt Creek | 3,898 | $86,867 | $44,516 |
| 11 | Belmont | 5,797 | $109,180 | $52,129 |
| 12 | Landons | 552 | $148,800 | $42,917 |
| 13 | University Place | 11,359 | $126,690 | $48,097 |
| 14 | Capitol Beach | 759 | $130,800 | $58,870 |
| 15 | South 48th Street | 5,319 | $148,817 | $50,911 |
| 16 | Woods Park | 3,701 | $119,200 | $38,838 |
| 16 | Near South | 9,926 | $154,643 | $42,556 |
| 18 | Far South | 164 | $174,900 | $59,330 |
| 19 | West A | 10,307 | $154,500 | $70,361 |
| 20 | 40th And A | 4,085 | $129,900 | $56,031 |
| 21 | Greater South | 3,287 | $142,750 | $67,737 |
| 22 | High Ridge-Cushman | 1,742 | $143,800 | $71,654 |
| 23 | Meadowlane | 5,012 | $158,800 | $75,475 |
| 24 | Indian Village | 2,822 | $149,467 | $63,241 |
| 25 | Highlands | 5,605 | $174,150 | $88,394 |
| 26 | Amber Hills | 152 | $249,300 | $107,756 |
| 27 | Bicentennial Estates | 782 | $166,000 | $80,441 |
| 28 | Country Club | 6,101 | $208,875 | $86,161 |
| 29 | Taylor Park | 481 | $202,500 | $70,764 |
| 30 | Maple Village-Wedgewood | 805 | $200,000 | $79,478 |
| 31 | Crown Pointe | 637 | $288,300 | $112,165 |
| 32 | Southern Hills | 495 | $252,300 | $86,850 |
| 33 | Yankee Ridge | 133 | $339,200 | $125,612 |
| 34 | Porter Ridge | 1,223 | $270,400 | $101,066 |
| 35 | Family Acres | 8,801 | $300,620 | $104,415 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 35 Lincoln neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The worst neighborhoods around Lincoln
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Lincoln with North Bottoms landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Lincoln are North Bottoms, Arnold Heights, Malone, Hartley, Clinton, East Campus, Salt Valley View, Everett, Downtown, and South Salt Creek.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Lincoln aren’t all bad. Family Acres takes the cake as the best place to live in Lincoln.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best 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
Worst Neighborhoods In Lincoln FAQs
What is the most dangerous neighborhood in Lincoln?
North Bottoms ranks as the worst neighborhood in Lincoln for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Arnold Heights and Malone are next on the list.
What are the worst neighborhoods in Lincoln?
The worst-ranked neighborhoods in Lincoln are North Bottoms, Arnold Heights, Malone, Hartley, Clinton, East Campus, Salt Valley View, Everett, Downtown, and South Salt Creek. We scored all 35 neighborhoods in the city.
Why does North Bottoms rank as the worst?
North Bottoms posts the roughest combined numbers in Lincoln: a median household income of $31,203 and a median home value of $89,450, with crime, unemployment, and density folded into the score.
Are these neighborhoods dangerous everywhere?
No. The scores are neighborhood-wide averages, and conditions change block by block and hour by hour. Plenty of people live in these neighborhoods without incident; the numbers just say the odds run tougher.
How do you rank the worst neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on crime, unemployment, income, density, and home values, using Census tract and FBI data. The worst combined score tops the list.
