Omaha, NE

The affordability dashboard for Omaha, NE aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 31 ZIP codes covering 518,429 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of B- (68/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $81,391, median home value of $252,677, median rent of $1,261 per month, and 39.3% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,368 per month (studio $1,090, 1BR $1,148, 3BR $1,813, 4BR $2,046). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $12,675 per year, consuming 16% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Omaha, NE include commute, rent. Unemployment currently reads 4.1% and poverty 12.6% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.