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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
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
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
344,337
+29%since 2000
from 266,787 in 2000
352,081 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
244 / sq mi
+29%since 2000
from 189 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
34.5
+7%since 2000
from 32.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,409 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
218K252K287K321K356K19902000201020202024Lincoln
2024344K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.8%(19,831)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(21,783)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.4%(22,040)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.8%(26,824)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2410.8%(37,112)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.5%(46,436)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.7%(43,769)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.7%(36,758)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6410.6%(36,651)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.5%(32,615)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.3%(14,669)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(5,849)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$75,185
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,903 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$40,917
+94%since 2000
from $21,087 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
50.0%
+20.6 ptssince 2009
from 29.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.6%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 9.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.450
+4%since 2010
from 0.433 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services7.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade6%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$273,463
+44%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $104,228 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,080
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $515 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
59.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2000
from 61.2% in 2000
40.4% rent
Vacancy rate
4.5%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.34 people
−2%since 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.4%
−4.5 ptssince 2009
from 21.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
44.6%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 44.5% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.6
+29%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
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)
Diversity Score
46
+57%since 2009
from 29 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
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)
Chilean0%(70)
Bolivian0%(31)
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)
Taiwanese0%(32)
Uzbek0%(21)
Mongolian0.1%(9)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(104)
Chamorro0%(96)
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)
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)
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)
Somali0%(112)
Belgian0%(110)
Turkish0%(108)
Egyptian0%(92)
Syrian0%(75)
Armenian0%(69)
Ghanaian0%(55)
Serbian0%(48)
Slovene0%(34)
Jordanian0%(28)
Kenyan0%(15)
Israeli0%(12)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
41.4%
+9.5 ptssince 2000
from 31.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.7%
+3.3 ptssince 2000
from 90.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
15.2%
+4.5 ptssince 2000
from 10.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.2 min
+69%since 2000
from 11.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.5%
−6.2 ptssince 2009
from 80.7% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.7%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
11.4%
+7.8 ptssince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.1%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 5.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
69.6%
−3.3 ptssince 2011
from 72.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 81.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
15.4%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 14.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
44.0%
+7.7 ptssince 2009
from 36.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.4%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
49.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
8.3%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.7%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.3%
+3.2 ptssince 2012
from 9.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.9%
−4.6 ptssince 2013
from 10.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.6%
+9.0 ptssince 2017
from 83.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.0%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 94.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
83.3%
+3.8 ptssince 2020
from 79.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
88.2%
−1.1 ptssince 2016
from 89.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2016
from 4.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
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

Uninsured
5.9%
−4.6 ptssince 2013
from 10.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
62.6%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 63.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
16.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 15.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
14.3%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 11.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
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)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.1%(3,374)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.7%(4,997)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5%(756)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.5%(82)
US avg: 1%

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
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

Lancaster CountyCENTRAL334,049Seward County18,032
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 Lincoln
Head 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

How we source and harmonize this data →