Lincoln, NE — City Profile & Demographics 2026

Population 291,932 · Nebraska · Updated May 2026

Population

291,932

Median Income

$69,991

Home Price

$293,233

Unemployment

3.3%

Poverty Rate

12.6%

Bachelor's+

40.9%

Full Demographics — Lincoln, NE

27 metrics across 8 categories, compared to US national averages.

Demographics

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average
Population	291,932	—
Pop. Density / sq mi	N/A	—
Median Age	33.4	38.9
Foreign Born	9.2%	13.8%
White	80.9%	61.6%
Black	4.2%	12.4%
Asian	4.5%	6.0%
Hispanic	8.8%	18.7%
Spanish at Home	N/A	13.2%

Economy

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average
Median HH Income	$69,991	$74,580
Per Capita Income	$39,187	$40,480
Per Capita Personal Income (MSA)BEA MSA-level	$66,354	$64,500
Unemployment Rate	3.3%	3.8%
Poverty Rate	12.6%	11.5%
Bachelor's Degree+	40.9%	35.8%

Housing

Source: Zillow ZHVI, Census ACS

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average	vs US
Median Home Value	$293,233	$410,000
Homeownership Rate	55.8%	65.4%

Safety

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average	vs US
Violent Crime / 100KFBI CDE (state-level est.)	294	380
Property Crime / 100KFBI CDE (state-level est.)	1960	1950

Health

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average
Obesity RateCDC PLACES	35.1%	33.0%
Diabetes RateCDC PLACES	9.5%	11.6%
Poor Mental HealthCDC PLACES — 14+ days/month	15.2%	14.0%
No Health InsuranceCDC PLACES	9.6%	9.6%
Binge DrinkingCDC PLACES	20.6%	15.5%
Current SmokersCDC PLACES	12.5%	12.5%

Climate

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average	vs US
Avg Annual TempNOAA 1991–2020 normal	51.6°F	54.5°F
Annual PrecipitationNOAA 1991–2020 normal	29.0 in	30.2 in

Air Quality

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average	vs US
PM2.5 Annual AvgEPA AQS (state-level est.)	7.6 µg/m³	8.5 µg/m³
Good Air DaysAQI ≤ 50	75.0%	70.0%

Commute

Metric	Lincoln, NE	US Average	vs US
Mean Commute TimeCensus ACS	20.0 min	27.0 min

Compare Lincoln with Another City

Popular Comparisons

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About Lincoln, NE

Lincoln is a city in Nebraska, United States. With a population of 291,932, it is one of the notable cities in the region. Compared to the US average, Lincoln shows stronger educational attainment (40.9% bachelor's degree vs 35.8% bachelor's degree US avg) and unemployment (3.3% unemployment vs 3.8% unemployment US avg). However, the city has a higher household income at $69,991 median HH income, compared to the US average of $74,580 median HH income. Data sourced from US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Survey (2023), CDC PLACES, FBI CDE, NOAA, and EPA.

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