The 10 Safest Cities In Nebraska For 2024

The safest cities in Nebraska are Schuyler and Norfolk for 2024 using Saturday Night Science.

Nebraska' safest places offer some of the lowest crime rates in the country.

In fact, Nebraska's state-wide violent and property crime rates come in slightly better than the national average. But the state still has some relatively dangerous cities, so it's important to understand the statistics before you move.

So we compiled a list of the safest places to live in Nebraska for 2024 before you pack the minivan.

How did we determine Nebraska's safest places? We consulted the numbers from the FBI for property and violent crimes per capita for every place with over 5,000 residents. In total, we analyzed 31 cities.

We discovered that the Cornhusker State has safe places for every type of person. For instance, if you want a safe college town, choose York, Bellevue is a safe choice for singles, and if you don't have a budget, you should give Gretna a look.

Want to know where the top ten safest places in Nebraska are for 2024? You're going to have to keep reading.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table

Here are the 10 safest cities to live in Nebraska for 2024:

  1. Schuyler (Homes For Sale)
  2. Norfolk (Homes For Sale)
  3. Seward (Homes For Sale)
  4. Blair (Homes For Sale)
  5. Holdrege (Homes For Sale)
  6. Wayne (Homes For Sale)
  7. Columbus (Homes For Sale)
  8. Papillion (Homes For Sale)
  9. McCook (Homes For Sale)
  10. La Vista (Homes For Sale)
Safest Cities In Nebraska Map

Where should one start in a state that's divided into 93 counties and 530 cities and/or towns? You should start at Nebraska's safest place for 2024. So, what city is the safest place to live in Nebraska? According to the most recent FBI data, the safest place to live in the Cornhusker State is Schuyler.

To see how your favorite city ranked, take a look below.

For more reading on safe places to live in and around Nebraska, check out:

The 10 Safest Cities In Nebraska For 2024

Schuyler, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 6,476
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 15 (safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 108 (safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Schuyler: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

You won't hear any foul-mouthed fourth-graders at South Park in Schuyler, Nebraska. You also won't find any robbers; Schuyler had the safest rate of property crime in all of Nebraska. With only 38 property crimes reported in the last year of available data, Schuyler experienced roughly four times less property crime than the average American city. There was also one violent crime per month, so it's not exactly like Schuyler's only on this list for its lack of burglars.

Schuyler is just 20 minutes east of Columbus, and just an hour and some change outside of Omaha and Lincoln.

Norfolk, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 25,048
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 63 (second safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 802 (fifth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Norfolk: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Norfolk's residents say this city is as sweet and safe as a bowl of Nebraska corn pudding. They should be considered the 'Pride of The Cornhusker State.' So it's no surprise they keep showing up on our list as our second safest city in Nebraska for 2024. And it's not shocking that they scored an 8/10 safety rating.

When Norfolk residents aren't busy cheering for the Big Red, clearing their cornfields, or hanging at their favorite runza shack, they can be found putting up those "Drive like your Kids Live Here" signs.

You have some serious safety game, Norfolk.

Seward, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 7,695
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 77 (fifth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 571 (third safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Seward: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
9
/10

Seward really blew the competition away to earn the top spot of safest city in Nebraska. With the fifth safest rate of violent crime and the third safest rate of property crime in the state, Seward has the safest streets anywhere in the Cornhusker State. Violent crime is about nine times less common in Seward than in your average American city. Not to mention the less than 1% chance of being the victim of a property crime in a year's time.

Not sold? Do you find Seward lacking in eccentricity? Then you haven't seen the World's Largest Time Capsule, the work of one local celebrity. In Seward, both your possessions and miscellanea from the 1970's will be well-preserved

Seward is a western suburb of the state's capital, Lincoln.

Blair, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 7,855
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 76 (fourth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 878 (sixth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Blair: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

A part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metro Area, Blair residents take safety as seriously as those kids in The Blair Witch Project should have. With less than one violent crime per month, you probably won't be witnessing any horror movie levels of violence in Blair. The property crime rate in Blair is also the sixth safest statewide, so residents don't need to have a panic attack if they forget to lock their door in the morning.

Just don't forget to return your books to the Blair Public Library, or you might become Blair's most wanted criminals.

Holdrege, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 5,469
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 127 (tenth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 310 (second safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Holdrege: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

You're unlikely to witness any hold-ups in Holdrege. In fact, you're four times less likely to witness any time type of violent crime here as than in an average American city. And the property crime rate in Holdrege is equally impressive, with both categories earning the #3 ranking statewide. Holdrege also got a 8 out of 10 or higher on our snackability scores for education, amenities, jobs, and affordability, so these low crime numbers are icing on the cake.

That's not to say the Holdrege doesn't have a history with prisoners though. Back in WWII, Holdrege was the site of a German POW camp</a. Nowadays, however, the percentage of incarcerated inhabitants has taken a steep drop.

Wayne, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 6,056
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 115 (ninth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 726 (fourth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Wayne: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Wayne, serving as the county seat of Wayne County, spans just 2.21 square miles and maintains a tight-knit atmosphere with its modest 6,056 residents. The city's 7 violent crimes, featuring 0 murders and 5 rapes, contribute to its low violent crime rate and position as the ninth safest in violent crimes per capita statewide.

Property crimes are rare, with only 44 incidents reported, reinforcing Wayne's status as the sixth safest spot in the state for 2024.

Columbus, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 24,158
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 70 (third safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,183 (13th safest)
Murders: 1
Murders Per 100k: 4
More on Columbus: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Located in Platte County, Columbus is the largest city to make this list.

The city experienced about one property crime per day and two violent crimes per month. Both types of crime are infrequent enough to land Columbus in the top ten statewide. So don't fret if you misplace your wallet at Pawnee Plunge Water Park; chances are it's floating in the water, not in the pocket of some thief.

Papillion, NE
Source: Wikipedia User Atomic Energy505 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 23,874
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 92 (sixth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,143 (12th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Papillion: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
9.5
/10

In Nebraska, Papillion is celebrated as the eighth safest city for 2024, with impressive ranks of sixth safest in violent crime and 12th safest in property crime. Recording just 22 violent incidents, it stands out as a low-risk area for both violent and property crimes.

As a suburb of Omaha, located in Sarpy County, Papillion has a history dating back to the 1870s. Comprehensive policing strategies bolster the safety records within this historical railroad-linked suburb.

Mccook, NE
Source: Public domain

Population: 7,478
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 147 (13th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,096 (tenth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Mccook: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Did our ninth safest city in Nebraska for 2024, McCook, make the list because it's in the middle of a bunch of cornfields? Probably. Most people can't point to it on a map, so we're sure it's difficult for bad guys to find, too.

But, this city with a little over 7,478 residents in Red Willow County has earned its spot. They scored an 8/10 for both education and safety.

They should be called 'The Best City to Live in Nebraska' because all is crazy safe in the land where corn outnumbers people.

La Vista, NE
Source: Wikipedia User Paltron | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 16,515
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 115 (eighth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,489 (16th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on La Vista: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

With three breweries in a city of only 5 square miles, you'd better believe that La Vista is a safe place to sit down for a pint. Luckily, La Vista folks aren't overly-rowdy drinkers. In fact, with the eighth safest rate of violent crime and the 16th safest rate of property crime in Nebraska, La Vista residents seem mellowed out by all that good grog. La Vista also got a 9/10 score on our overall snackability score with solid numbers in every category.

La Vista is a southwestern suburb of Omaha.

Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in Nebraska for 2024

Safest Cities in Nebraska Graph

While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in Nebraska are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in Nebraska.

Specifically, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:

  • Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
  • Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)

For example, there were 8 crimes committed in Schuyler, with a reported population of 6,476. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0012, which translates into a 1 in 809 chance of being the victim of a crime.

We only looked at Nebraska cities that have populations of more than 5,000. This filter left us with 31 of the biggest cities in Nebraska to rank.

We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 31 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.

Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score, "The Safest Place In Nebraska," with any ties going to the bigger city.

The safest city in Nebraska, based on our criteria, is Schuyler. The most dangerous city in Nebraska? Omaha, where residents had a 1 in 24 chance of being the victim of a crime.

This article has been update for 2024. This report marks our tenth time ranking the safest places to live in Nebraska. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2022 report.

Best Places To Live In Nebraska

Summary: The Safest Cities In The Cornhusker State

Looking at the data, you can tell that Schuyler is as safe as they come in Nebraska, according to science and data.

But as most Nebraska residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.

The safest places in Nebraska are .

Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in Nebraska according to the data:

  1. Omaha
  2. Scottsbluff
  3. Lincoln
For more reading, check out:

Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In Nebraska For 2024?

Rank City Population Violent Crimes Per 100k Property Crimes Per 100k Murders Per 100k Murders
1 Schuyler, NE 6,476 15 108 0 0
2 Norfolk, NE 25,048 63 802 0 0
3 Seward, NE 7,695 77 571 0 0
4 Blair, NE 7,855 76 878 0 0
5 Holdrege, NE 5,469 127 310 0 0
6 Wayne, NE 6,056 115 726 0 0
7 Columbus, NE 24,158 70 1,183 4 1
8 Papillion, NE 23,874 92 1,143 0 0
9 Mccook, NE 7,478 147 1,096 0 0
10 La Vista, NE 16,515 115 1,489 0 0
11 Gering, NE 8,017 149 1,110 0 0
12 Plattsmouth, NE 6,710 134 1,222 0 0
13 Chadron, NE 5,194 192 943 19 1
14 York, NE 8,214 206 973 12 1
15 Ralston, NE 6,448 108 1,736 0 0
16 Bellevue, NE 63,178 182 1,397 1 1
17 Beatrice, NE 12,164 271 1,002 0 0
18 Lexington, NE 10,382 134 1,858 0 0
19 Kearney, NE 34,186 342 1,608 2 1
20 Fremont, NE 26,210 186 2,037 3 1
21 Nebraska City, NE 7,248 344 1,614 13 1
22 South Sioux City, NE 13,652 183 2,717 0 0
23 Crete, NE 7,200 333 1,736 0 0
24 North Platte, NE 22,684 189 2,852 0 0
25 Alliance, NE 7,807 473 1,677 0 0
26 Sidney, NE 6,469 510 1,638 0 0
27 Hastings, NE 24,930 373 2,358 0 0
28 Grand Island, NE 51,733 405 2,576 1 1
29 Lincoln, NE 293,937 382 2,842 3 11
30 Scottsbluff, NE 15,224 420 2,936 6 1
31 Omaha, NE 483,462 561 3,468 5 29

Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In Nebraska

Safest Cities in Nebraska Breakdown

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn.

Safest Cities By State

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