METRO AREA
Lincoln Metro
Lincoln, NE · 2 counties · 352,081 residents (2025 est.) · 1,409 sq mi
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The short version
Lincoln is a metro area of 344,337 people. That puts it in the top 6% of US metro areas for household income. This skews young, with a median age of 34.5. 77,550 more people live here than in 2000. The average commute runs 19 minutes. About 41% of adults have finished a four-year degree.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $75,185, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
41% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 44%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Lincoln
Among the 12 metro and micro areas based in Nebraska
- 3rd in household income$75,185
- 1st in share with a bachelor's degree41.4%
- 1st in home value$273,463
- 6th in diversity score45.9
Section 01
Population & growth
344,337
+29%since 2000
from 266,787 in 2000
352,081 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
1,409 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024344K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(19,831)
5 to 96.3%(21,783)
10 to 146.4%(22,040)
15 to 197.8%(26,824)
20 to 2410.8%(37,112)
25 to 3413.5%(46,436)
35 to 4412.7%(43,769)
45 to 5410.7%(36,758)
55 to 6410.6%(36,651)
65 to 749.5%(32,615)
75 to 844.3%(14,669)
85 and over1.7%(5,849)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$75,185
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,903 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
50.0%
+20.6 ptssince 2009
from 29.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.6%
Retail trade9.7%
Other services7.8%
Public administration6.6%
Wholesale trade6%
Finance & insurance4.6%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.6%
Construction1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
Education & health services0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$273,463
+44%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $104,228 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.6
+29%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic89.3%(238,144)
Black2.6%(6,939)
Hispanic / Latino3.2%(8,616)
Asian2.7%(7,166)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic78.7%(270,878)
Black3.6%(12,283)
Hispanic / Latino8.2%(28,299)
Asian3.9%(13,374)
Other5.7%(19,503)
46
+57%since 2009
from 29 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
30
−13%since 2020
from 34 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican5.3%(18,421)
Central American1.1%(3,621)
Guatemalan0.5%(1,693)
Salvadoran0.4%(1,248)
South American0.4%(1,197)
Puerto Rican0.3%(1,076)
Cuban0.2%(691)
Colombian0.1%(424)
Honduran0.1%(413)
Spaniard0.1%(295)
Peruvian0.1%(260)
Dominican0.1%(235)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0%(147)
Panamanian0%(126)
Venezuelan0%(121)
Nicaraguan0%(109)
Ecuadorian0%(87)
Chilean0%(70)
Costa Rican0%(32)
Bolivian0%(31)
Paraguayan0%(25)
Asian origin
Vietnamese1.4%(4,852)
Asian Indian0.6%(1,851)
Chinese0.5%(1,749)
Burmese0.4%(1,149)
Filipino0.2%(714)
Korean0.1%(419)
Kazakh0.1%(370)
Thai0.1%(313)
Malaysian0.1%(229)
Nepalese0.1%(222)
Cambodian0.1%(175)
Sri Lankan0.1%(170)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0%(168)
Laotian0%(129)
Pakistani0%(125)
Hmong0%(58)
Bangladeshi0%(36)
Taiwanese0%(32)
Indonesian0%(26)
Uzbek0%(21)
Mongolian0.1%(9)
Ancestry
German32.6%(112,345)
Irish11.3%(38,798)
English10.1%(34,912)
Czech4.3%(14,821)
Swedish3.5%(12,039)
American3.4%(11,538)
Polish2.1%(7,208)
French1.8%(6,169)
Italian1.8%(6,083)
Norwegian1.5%(5,281)
Dutch1.5%(5,085)
Scottish1.4%(4,906)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1.4%(4,682)
Arab1.1%(3,884)
Subsaharan African0.9%(3,025)
Iraqi0.7%(2,206)
Russian0.6%(2,066)
Ukrainian0.6%(1,972)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(1,952)
Welsh0.5%(1,620)
British0.4%(1,283)
Swiss0.4%(1,211)
Greek0.2%(839)
French Canadian0.2%(783)
West Indian0.2%(710)
Austrian0.1%(489)
Hungarian0.1%(477)
Lebanese0.1%(390)
Portuguese0.1%(359)
Slovak0.1%(353)
Nigerian0.1%(324)
Finnish0.1%(289)
Canadian0.1%(285)
Haitian0.1%(255)
Ethiopian0.1%(251)
Latvian0.1%(244)
Iranian0.1%(211)
Lithuanian0.1%(201)
Croatian0.1%(189)
Brazilian0.1%(174)
Palestinian0.1%(170)
Romanian0%(158)
Jamaican0%(140)
Moroccan0%(135)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(128)
Somali0%(112)
Belgian0%(110)
Turkish0%(108)
Egyptian0%(92)
Syrian0%(75)
Armenian0%(69)
Ghanaian0%(55)
Serbian0%(48)
Australian0%(41)
Slovene0%(34)
Jordanian0%(28)
Macedonian0%(24)
Kenyan0%(15)
Israeli0%(12)
Barbadian0%(6)
Cape Verdean0%(3)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.7%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 90.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 81.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
97.0%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 94.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.6%(57,183)
Married49.2%(69,201)
Widowed2.2%(3,050)
Divorced8%(11,248)
Women 15+
Never married33.9%(47,515)
Married48.6%(67,986)
Widowed6.3%(8,876)
Divorced11.2%(15,624)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
17.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.3%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 2.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
77.2%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 78.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
29.3%
+3.7 ptssince 2020
from 25.6% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)27.1%(4,143)
Gulf War (1990s)22.1%(3,374)
Vietnam era32.7%(4,997)
Korean War5%(756)
World War II0.5%(82)
Share of the 15,266 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Lincoln, decade by decade
| Year | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Bachelor's degree+ | Diversity score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 229,091 | $69,107 | $146,204 | 26.7% | 13.4 |
| 2000 | 266,787 | $76,332 | $189,868 | 31.9% | 25.0 |
| 2010 | 302,157 | $73,551 | $208,450 | 34.9% | 33.9 |
| 2020 | 340,217 | $76,251 | $229,215 | 39.3% | 45.9 |
| 2024 | 344,337 | $75,185 | $273,463 | 41.4% | 45.9 |
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
In this metro
Largest cities
LincolnCENTRAL301,522Seward7,892Waverly4,533Hickman3,663Milford2,286Bennet1,104Utica831Firth644Walton579Malcolm486Beaver Crossing368Hallam320Yankee Hill250Panama230Staplehurst229Pleasant Dale214Roca213Garland210Denton188Goehner177Bee168Raymond153Cheney144Sprague134Martell133Davey124Cordova100Princeton99Tamora12Kramer7
The 30 most populous of 33 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.
What's inside
2 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Lincoln
Peoria
Pop 363,505
Davenport
Pop 380,452
Clarksville
Pop 349,001
Green Bay
Pop 336,756
Places similar to LincolnHead to head
Compare Lincoln side by side
LINCOLN VS
Peoria
Income$72,642−3%
Home value$164,527−40%
Population363,505+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN VS
Davenport
Income$73,139−3%
Home value$183,173−33%
Population380,452+8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN VS
Clarksville
Income$70,081−7%
Home value$250,970−8%
Population349,001−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN VS
Green Bay
Income$79,291+5%
Home value$259,130−5%
Population336,756−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Lincoln, NE?
Lincoln, NE has about 344,337 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Lincoln, NE?
The typical household in Lincoln, NE earns about $75,185 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Lincoln, NE expensive?
In Lincoln, NE, the median home is worth about $273,463, and the typical rent is about $1,080 a month.
How educated are people in Lincoln, NE?
About 41.4% of adults age 25 and over in Lincoln, NE hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Lincoln, NE?
About 11.6% of people in Lincoln, NE live below the federal poverty line.
Has Lincoln, NE grown since 1990?
Yes, Lincoln, NE has grown since 1990. The population has added about 115,246 residents, a change of about 50 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024