State rental market analysis · NE
Nebraska rental markets
32 tracked cities over 5,000 population, 32 ranked and summarized by their median Overall; 2 of 32 evaluable cities pass the modeled Buy & Hold screen. Every number traces to Census, Zillow and BLS. Compare state coverage and results →
Browse every Nebraska ZIP Code area → · the full server-rendered index for this state.
Part of the West North Central Census division (Midwest region).
The honest read
Nebraska ranks #11 of 37 coverage-eligible states for rental investing, with a median Overall of 52.4/100 across its ranked cities, above the national median. 32 ranked cities roll up into this grade. Its strongest factor is low unemployment: 3.1%, 6th of 51.
The biggest drag is income growth: 4.3%, 45th of 51. A state grade is the median of its ranked cities, a screen for where to look, not underwriting. Open any city below for its full shown-math breakdown, or run a specific deal through the cap rate and cash-flow calculators.
Where it ranks, factor by factor
Every value is the median across the 32 ranked cities in this state. The national rank compares all 51 states on that one factor; the engine already flips inverted factors (affordability, low unemployment) so a better rank always means a better market. Each factor sits in one of the model’s three categories (Cash Flow, Growth, or Stability); this is a representative summary, and the full thirteen-factor breakdown is on each city’s page. Full methodology.
| Factor | Category | State value | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross rent yield | Cash Flow | 5.8% | #27 of 51 |
| Rent growth | Growth | 4.1% | #26 of 51 |
| Home value growth | Growth | 4.3% | #19 of 51 |
| Population growth | Growth | 0.4% | #34 of 51 |
| Job growth | Growth | 1.0% | #17 of 51 |
| Price-to-income | Cash Flow | 3.9× | #14 of 51 |
| Unemployment | Stability | 3.1% | #6 of 51 |
| Rental demand | Stability | 41% renters · 4.3% vacancy | two-part measure |
| Income growth | Growth | 4.3% | #45 of 51 |
Every city in Nebraska, ranked
Led by Schuyler at 67/100. Click any column to re-sort; every city links to its full shown-math breakdown.
| NE rank | City | Grade | Cash Flow | Growth | Stability | Typical home value | Gross yield | National rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 med | Schuyler | 67 | A | C | B | $234,871 | 8.6% | #250 |
| 2 | Lexington | 65 | A | C | C | $202,545 | 7.8% | #365 |
| 3 | Columbus | 64 | C | C | B | $271,400 | 6.4% | #395 |
| 4 med | South Sioux City | 64 | B | C | B | $234,813 | 7.7% | #399 |
| 5 | Papillion | 63 | C | B | A | $411,607 | 5.0% | #482 |
| 6 | Gretna | 61 | C | A | B | $428,058 | 4.8% | #658 |
| 7 | Beatrice | 59 | B | C | B | $186,905 | 6.8% | #784 |
| 8 | Bellevue | 59 | C | B | C | $300,450 | 5.4% | #843 |
| 9 med | Nebraska City | 59 | B | C | C | $198,794 | 7.0% | #852 |
| 10 | La Vista | 56 | C | C | B | $310,256 | 5.4% | #1111 |
| 11 | Kearney | 56 | C | C | B | $318,222 | 6.2% | #1135 |
| 12 | Grand Island | 54 | C | C | C | $253,838 | 6.2% | #1359 |
| 13 med | Seward | 54 | D | C | B | $314,419 | 5.0% | #1406 |
| 14 med | York | 53 | C | C | B | $220,505 | 5.7% | #1511 |
| 15 med | Crete | 53 | C | C | C | $241,453 | 5.0% | #1515 |
| 16 | Fremont | 53 | C | B | C | $257,950 | 5.7% | #1530 |
| 17 | Plattsmouth | 52 | D | B | B | $311,641 | 4.4% | #1591 |
| 18 | Lincoln | 50 | C | B | C | $293,764 | 5.3% | #2003 |
| 19 med | Blair | 49 | D | C | B | $363,831 | 5.1% | #2119 |
| 20 med | Scottsbluff | 49 | A | D | B | $185,568 | 8.4% | #2137 |
| 21 | Hastings | 47 | C | C | C | $206,294 | 6.4% | #2342 |
| 22 med | Wayne | 47 | D | C | B | $247,295 | 4.2% | #2424 |
| 23 | Norfolk | 46 | C | C | C | $259,095 | 5.9% | #2529 |
| 24 | Omaha | 46 | C | C | C | $296,615 | 5.7% | #2632 |
| 25 med | Gering | 45 | C | D | C | $214,930 | 5.3% | #2673 |
| 26 | North Platte | 42 | B | F | B | $219,736 | 7.2% | #3092 |
| 27 | Ralston | 41 | C | D | D | $266,422 | 6.4% | #3295 |
| 28 med | Alliance | 41 | C | F | B | $181,647 | 5.1% | #3332 |
| 29 med | Holdrege | 39 | C | D | C | $195,980 | 5.0% | #3542 |
| 30 med | McCook | 36 | B | F | B | $180,733 | 6.4% | #3838 |
| 31 med | Sidney | 32 | B | F | B | $180,188 | 7.1% | #4192 |
| 32 med | Chadron | 27 | B | F | C | $199,186 | 6.9% | #4447 |
Data as of: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI through the latest monthly release · Census ACS 5-yr 2020–2024 · Census PEP July 2025 · BLS LAUS county 2025 annual (11-month average). Generated 2026-10-06. Methodology & limitations · underwrite any specific deal with the free calculators.
ZIP markets in Nebraska
586 Census ZIP Codes (ZCTAs) in Nebraska · 300 data-eligible for subscores. These are sub-city government areas ranked separately from the Nebraska city table. The overall Rental Investor ZIP Score leaderboard leads; the two component subscores (affordability, rental-market context) follow as independent percentiles. ZIP ranks are shown within the ZIP universe only, never mixed with, and not directly comparable to, city ranks. Vintage: the Key metric column is Census ACS 2020–2024 (5-year), the same release the city table above uses; the geographies differ, so the same measure can still disagree between the two.
Best overall ZIP Codes in Nebraska
Ranked by the overall Rental Investor ZIP Score. The # is each ZIP Code's canonical NE state rank; the smaller figure is its national rank. Separate from the Nebraska city table and not directly comparable to it.
| NE rank | ZIP Code | Overallgrade · national | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 68123Bellevue | A 74#122 nat | 6.0%Survey yield |
| #2 | 68046Papillion | A 71#376 nat | 4.3%Survey yield |
| #3 | 68138Chalco | A 70#535 nat | 6.3%Survey yield |
| #4 | 68133Papillion | A 68#812 nat | 4.5%Survey yield |
| #5 | 68128La Vista | A 67#1,187 nat | 5.4%Survey yield |
| #6 | 68005Bellevue | A 66#1,217 nat | 6.4%Survey yield |
| #7 | 68136 | A 66#1,386 nat | 5.6%Survey yield |
| #8 | 68028Gretna | A 65#1,547 nat | 4.5%Survey yield |
| #9 | 68521Lincoln | A 64#1,887 nat | 5.8%Survey yield |
| #10 | 68147Bellevue | A 64#1,952 nat | 6.8%Survey yield |
| #11 | 68522Lincoln | A 64#1,993 nat | 6.2%Survey yield |
| #12 | 68135Omaha | B 63#2,244 nat | 6.0%Survey yield |
Top affordability ZIP Codes in Nebraska
State-scoped leaders on the affordability subscore only (national rank shown is within that subscore’s data-eligible universe). Substantially an inverse housing-cost signal: a component of the overall score, not a predicted return.
| # | ZIP Code | Affordability | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 68039Macy | 99#15 nat | 14.3%Survey yield |
| 2 | 68778Springview | 71#2,755 nat | 9.0%Survey yield |
| 3 | 69040Palisade | 70#3,094 nat | 8.5%Survey yield |
| 4 | 68726Clearwater | 69#3,110 nat | 8.7%Survey yield |
| 5 | 68627Cedar Rapids | 68#3,400 nat | 6.9%Survey yield |
| 6 | 69154Oshkosh | 66#3,915 nat | 7.3%Survey yield |
| 7 | 68856Merna | 66#3,967 nat | 6.2%Survey yield |
| 8 | 68926Beaver City | 66#3,967 nat | 11.2%Survey yield |
| 9 | 68814Ansley | 65#4,118 nat | 7.7%Survey yield |
| 10 | 69166Thedford | 63#4,712 nat | 8.7%Survey yield |
| 11 | 68786Wausa | 63#4,747 nat | 8.9%Survey yield |
| 12 | 69152Mullen | 63#4,793 nat | 7.5%Survey yield |
Deepest rental-market ZIP Codes in Nebraska
State-scoped leaders on the rental-market-context subscore only (national rank shown is within that subscore’s data-eligible universe). Rental depth/tightness: a separate component, never combined here with affordability.
| # | ZIP Code | Rental market | Key metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 68111Omaha | 80#278 nat | 11.6%Survey yield |
| 2 | 68305Auburn | 79#347 nat | 7.6%Survey yield |
| 3 | 68039Macy | 79#394 nat | 14.3%Survey yield |
| 4 | 68505Lincoln | 78#491 nat | 6.0%Survey yield |
| 5 | 68850Lexington | 77#634 nat | 7.2%Survey yield |
| 6 | 68524Lincoln | 77#648 nat | 5.0%Survey yield |
| 7 | 68521Lincoln | 77#662 nat | 5.8%Survey yield |
| 8 | 69152Mullen | 76#746 nat | 7.5%Survey yield |
| 9 | 69162Sidney | 76#759 nat | 6.6%Survey yield |
| 10 | 68128La Vista | 75#916 nat | 5.4%Survey yield |
| 11 | 68787Wayne | 75#916 nat | 4.1%Survey yield |
| 12 | 68776South Sioux City | 75#964 nat | 7.3%Survey yield |