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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Lincoln Metro

Lincoln, NE · 2 counties · 340,217 residents · 1,409 sq mi
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The short version

Lincoln is home to 340,217 people. This skews young, with a median age of 34.9. 73,430 more people live here than in 2000. The average commute runs 19 minutes. About 39% of adults have finished a four-year degree. 79% were living in the same home a year earlier.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 34.9
US median: 38.8
More educated
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
340,217
+28%since 2000
from 266,787 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
241 / sq mi
+28%since 2000
from 189 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
34.9
+8%since 2000
from 32.2 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,409 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
218K252K287K321K356K19902000201020202024Lincoln
2024344K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56%(20,445)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(22,053)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.6%(22,507)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.8%(26,400)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 249.3%(31,662)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.1%(47,997)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4412.9%(43,968)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5410.6%(36,067)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.4%(38,619)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 749.1%(30,902)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844%(13,736)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.7%(5,861)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$62,912
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $41,903 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,329
+58%since 2000
from $21,087 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
41.0%
+11.6 ptssince 2009
from 29.5% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
11.6%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 9.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade9.1%
US avg: 10%
Other services7.5%
US avg: 6.6%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration6.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.5%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction1.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$189,115
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $104,228 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$868
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $515 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
60.0%
−1.2 ptssince 2000
from 61.2% in 2000
40.0% rent
Persons per household
2.39 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.0
+6%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.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic78.9%(268,344)
Black4%(13,471)
Hispanic / Latino7.7%(26,340)
Asian4.1%(14,032)
Other4%(13,765)
Segregation Score
34
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
Mexican4.9%(16,225)
Central American0.7%(2,229)
Guatemalan0.4%(1,170)
Puerto Rican0.3%(892)
Salvadoran0.2%(735)
Cuban0.2%(638)
Spaniard0.1%(287)
Peruvian0.1%(200)
Dominican0.1%(195)
Venezuelan0%(132)
Colombian0%(116)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Vietnamese1.4%(4,663)
Chinese0.7%(2,292)
Asian Indian0.6%(1,872)
Korean0.3%(848)
Burmese0.3%(834)
Thai0.2%(649)
Japanese0.1%(381)
Malaysian0.1%(371)
Filipino0.1%(289)
Pakistani0%(145)
Sri Lankan0%(142)
Cambodian0%(133)
+ 6 more asian origin groups with data
Nepalese0%(96)
Bhutanese0%(68)
Laotian0%(45)
Taiwanese0%(39)
Hmong0%(21)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(179)
Chamorro0%(101)
Tongan0%(64)
Ancestry
German33.3%(111,059)
Irish11.3%(37,623)
English8.3%(27,695)
Czech5.1%(17,023)
Swedish3.8%(12,739)
American3.7%(12,430)
Polish2.5%(8,490)
Italian2.1%(6,839)
French1.9%(6,418)
Dutch1.9%(6,210)
Norwegian1.8%(5,871)
Danish1.7%(5,538)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.3%(4,340)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(2,493)
Russian0.7%(2,271)
Iraqi0.7%(2,209)
Welsh0.6%(1,916)
British0.6%(1,847)
Swiss0.4%(1,337)
Ukrainian0.4%(1,312)
French Canadian0.3%(1,032)
Greek0.2%(754)
West Indian0.2%(709)
Austrian0.2%(607)
Hungarian0.2%(587)
Canadian0.2%(585)
Arab0.2%(525)
Nigerian0.1%(400)
Finnish0.1%(332)
Iranian0.1%(320)
Portuguese0.1%(312)
Lebanese0.1%(309)
Ethiopian0.1%(273)
Romanian0.1%(255)
Latvian0.1%(223)
Slovak0.1%(217)
Haitian0.1%(187)
Brazilian0.1%(177)
Somali0.1%(172)
Belgian0%(156)
Jamaican0%(146)
Croatian0%(139)
Lithuanian0%(139)
Turkish0%(139)
Armenian0%(130)
Syrian0%(118)
Serbian0%(89)
Kenyan0%(89)
Barbadian0%(72)
Ghanaian0%(64)
Jordanian0%(63)
Bulgarian0%(21)
Israeli0%(16)
Egyptian0%(15)
Slovene0%(13)
Moroccan0%(12)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.3%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 31.9% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
93.3%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 90.3% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
14.6%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 10.7% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.4 min
+71%since 2000
from 11.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
80.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 80.7% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.3%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 5.7% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
70.7%
−2.2 ptssince 2011
from 72.9% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.2%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
41.8%
+5.5 ptssince 2009
from 36.3% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.2%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
49.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
7.9%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
7.2%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 10.5% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
94.5%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
79.5%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
7.2%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 10.5% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
63.9%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
18.2%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
15.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
11.8%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.3%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
78.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
25.6%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.3%(3,166)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)21.9%(3,413)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.9%(5,925)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7.6%(1,194)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.5%(554)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 15,616 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+15%
Home value$164,527−13%
Population363,505+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN VS
Davenport
Income$73,139+16%
Home value$183,173−3%
Population380,452+8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN VS
Clarksville
Income$70,081+11%
Home value$250,970+33%
Population349,001−1%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LINCOLN VS
Green Bay
Income$79,291+26%
Home value$259,130+37%
Population336,756−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Lincoln, NE?

Lincoln, NE has about 340,217 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Lincoln, NE?

The typical household in Lincoln, NE earns about $62,912 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 $189,115, and the typical rent is about $868 a month.

How educated are people in Lincoln, NE?

About 39.3% 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 111,126 residents, a change of about 49 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 →