Metro Life Score
Lincoln, NE
Top-5% composite Life Score — grade A, 96th percentile of the national corpus.
- 63.8
- Life Score / 100
- A
- Grade (curved)
- #16
- of 387 metros
- 96%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Lincoln is top-5% composite Life Score — #16 of 387 (63.8/100, grade A, 96th percentile). Carried by safety at 89/100; held back most by schools at 16/100.
- 96th
- composite percentile
- #16
- of 387 peers
- 66th
- cost dimension percentile
- 59th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · TOP · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Lincoln: top-third composite Life Score
Lincoln clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#16 of 387, 63.8/100, grade A, 96th percentile). Stamps TOP · SAFE-LED; cost CHEAP (66th) · wages MID (59th). Safety at 89/100 carries the lead; Schools (16/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Lincoln, NE ranks #16 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #132 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.6 (rent-RPP 84.2). BLS median salary $65,897, 174,050 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, Registered Nurses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,141/mo (studio $855).
FBI UCR (NE): 217 violent, 1631 property/100K. NCES: 13.0:1 ratio, 0.0% charter. DOL infant childcare $9,863/yr. EPA: 19 Superfund sites (NE).
Where Lincoln sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
64 Top 4% higher than 96% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 63.8 is built
Lincoln's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Lincoln scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NE state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Lincoln With...
Ranking Context
Lincoln outranks 96% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #13 | Lewiston, ID-WA | 64.1 | A |
| #14 | Lafayette, LA | 64.1 | A |
| #15 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 64.3 | A |
| #16 | Lincoln, NE | 63.8 | A |
| #17 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 63.5 | A |
| #18 | Alexandria, LA | 63.4 | A |
| #19 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 63.4 | A |
Quality vs. Affordability
Lincoln, NE is top 4% highest-quality nationally but only top 34% most affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
NE Metro Scores
Read with Lincoln
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Lincoln (TOP · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Lafayette, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 64.1 (Δ 0.3 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Lewiston, ID-WA
ABS(composite) peer at 64.1 (Δ 0.3 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
ABS(composite) peer at 63.5 (Δ 0.3 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Alexandria, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 63.4 (Δ 0.4 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A vs this page's TOP · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/MID.
Evansville, IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 66/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Fond du Lac, WI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 66/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Lincoln, NE relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for TOP · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Lincoln's top-third Life Score
Lincoln scores 63.8/100 overall, but Safety (89.4) and Schools (16.3) sit 73.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Lincoln's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Omaha is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Omaha
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.