Best Cities for Young Professionals in Nebraska

High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  Nebraska

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Income · 20% Educated Peers · 15% Young Demographic · 15% Jobs · 15% Transit · 10% Safety · 10% Broadband · 15%

Top 12 Young Professionals Cities in Nebraska

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 66
Papillion, NE
24,063 residents
Income $109,602
Educated Peers 48.1%
Young Demographic 41 yrs
#2
Score 62.4
Valley, NE
3,113 residents
Income $106,750
Educated Peers 50.1%
Young Demographic 47 yrs
#3
Score 59.7
Ashland, NE
3,083 residents
Income $80,948
Educated Peers 30.2%
Young Demographic 37 yrs
#4
Score 57.6
Bennington, NE
2,417 residents
Income $98,375
Educated Peers 41.8%
Young Demographic 39 yrs
#5
Score 56.5
Seward, NE
7,665 residents
Income $70,000
Educated Peers 37.2%
Young Demographic 31 yrs
#6
Score 56.1
Bellevue, NE
64,355 residents
Income $87,343
Educated Peers 33.4%
Young Demographic 36 yrs
#7
Score 56
Milford, NE
2,656 residents
Income $80,997
Educated Peers 28.0%
Young Demographic 31 yrs
#8
Score 55.1
La Vista, NE
16,594 residents
Income $78,145
Educated Peers 35.8%
Young Demographic 35 yrs
#9
Score 53.9
Gering, NE
8,567 residents
Income $70,244
Educated Peers 28.4%
Young Demographic 37 yrs
#10
Score 52.9
Lincoln, NE
291,932 residents
Income $69,991
Educated Peers 41.0%
Young Demographic 33 yrs
#11
Score 52.7
Blair, NE
7,868 residents
Income $76,292
Educated Peers 37.0%
Young Demographic 40 yrs
#12
Score 52.1
Plattsmouth, NE
6,680 residents
Income $64,296
Educated Peers 26.0%
Young Demographic 38 yrs

Full Ranking, Nebraska

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Papillion NE 66
2 Valley NE 62.4
3 Ashland NE 59.7
4 Bennington NE 57.6
5 Seward NE 56.5
6 Bellevue NE 56.1
7 Milford NE 56
8 La Vista NE 55.1
9 Gering NE 53.9
10 Lincoln NE 52.9
11 Blair NE 52.7
12 Plattsmouth NE 52.1
13 Chadron NE 51.7
14 Wahoo NE 51.7
15 Imperial NE 51.3
16 Ralston NE 51.3
17 Omaha NE 51
18 Kearney NE 50.8
19 Wisner NE 50.3
20 Wayne NE 49.9
21 Gothenburg NE 49.4
22 Schuyler NE 49.3
23 Pierce NE 48.5
24 Oakland NE 47.3
25 Aurora NE 47.1
26 Atkinson NE 46.5
27 Albion NE 46.1
28 Minden NE 46.1
29 Alliance NE 45.2
30 York NE 44.4
31 Columbus NE 44.2
32 Gordon NE 42.7
33 Norfolk NE 42.6
34 Lexington NE 42.1
35 Sidney NE 41.9
36 Fremont NE 41.8
37 Hastings NE 41.7
38 McCook NE 41.7
39 North Platte NE 41
40 Valentine NE 40.4
41 O'Neill NE 39.7
42 St. Paul NE 39.5
43 Kimball NE 39.3
44 Holdrege NE 39.2
45 Grand Island NE 39
46 West Point NE 38.8
47 Madison NE 38.7
48 Crete NE 38.3
49 Neligh NE 38.2
50 Beatrice NE 37.7

Papillion, NE tops the list with a composite score of 66 out of 100, followed by Valley and Ashland. NE dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for young professionals.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Income, Educated Peers, Young Demographic, Jobs, Transit, Safety, Broadband. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to young professionals, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
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Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Families
Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.
Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Highest Income → Most Educated → Youngest Cities →