Is Lincoln a Good Place to Live? Lincoln, North Dakota: cost of living, crime, schools and rankings

Lincoln's cost of living index is 91, 9% below the US level of 100 and #244 of 1,308 cities with data (1 = cheapest). Median rent is $950/mo against $1,138/mo in similar-size cities. The typical home is worth $315,863, 8% above the typical North Dakota home ($292,293).

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Lincoln recorded 44 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 87% below the US rate of 328 and 83% below North Dakota's 257. That ranks #18 of 1,085 cities with data (1 = safest) and #6 of 146 towns, from a full year of reports to the FBI by Lincoln Police Department. Property crime runs 504 per 100,000 (US 1,548).

• Safest cities in North Dakota →
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The median household in Lincoln earns $87,652, 5% above the US figure of $83,163 and 13% above North Dakota ($77,871). 5.6% of residents live below the poverty line. The population grew 0.3% in the latest year (US +0.5%).

• Wages by occupation and metro →

The median resident of Lincoln is 32.8 years old, against 38.6 in similar-size cities. 17.6% of adults have a bachelor's degree or more, #1217 of 1,312 cities (1 = highest). 92.3% of occupied homes are lived in by their owners; the rest are rented.

We have too few school records for Lincoln to describe its public schools. 36.7% of adults are obese and 7% have diabetes, against similar-size city medians of 34.5% and 10.7%.

The average commute in Lincoln is 19.9 minutes (North Dakota 17.5); 0.4% of workers take transit and 4.3% work from home. On the EPA's walkability index Lincoln scores 4.3 of 20 (least walkable), #1307 of 1,312 cities (1 = most walkable). Summers average 68.4°F and winters 16°F, with 19.2 inches of precipitation a year.

Burleigh County's air had a median air quality index of 39, and 78% of measured days were rated good; 12 days were unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse, mostly from ozone. Relative to other US counties, FEMA's National Risk Index puts Burleigh County's biggest natural hazard losses in hail, winter weather, and ice storm, with expected yearly losses of 0.24% of building value, higher than 82% of US counties.

Lincoln is one of 234 places under 25,000 people we track and ranks #82 of them on overall score. The table sets it beside the 8 cities in other states closest to its population of 4,381.

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Lincoln ranks #11 of the 20 North Dakota cities we track, with a score of 58 against North Dakota's statewide 75.5. Its households earn 13% above the North Dakota median. Violent crime is 83% below the statewide rate. Homes are 8% above the typical North Dakota home.

• Is North Dakota a good place to live? →
• North Dakota vs its neighbors →
• Who is moving to North Dakota →

Lincoln scores 58 out of 100, #507 of 1,312 (grade B, which follows rank). It is scored on the 9 of 11 categories with local data; education and outdoor access are left out rather than filled with North Dakota's statewide figure, and the other weights are scaled up to fill the gap. Each score is compared with the median of similar-size cities, which are scored the same way.

• Economy

  City data, some inputs missing · 18% of score
  Median household income and unemployment in Lincoln. One input is missing, so the score uses the others. Similar-size median 41.9.

  45.8
• Safety

  City data · 15% of score
  Violent and property crime per 100,000 residents, as reported to the FBI by Lincoln's police agency. Similar-size median 81.4.

  100.0
• Health

  City data · 15% of score
  Adult obesity, diabetes and frequent mental distress in Lincoln. Similar-size median 56.5.

  62.7
• Affordability

  City data · 12% of score
  Lincoln's home values and rents and its metro area's price level. Similar-size median 74.8.

  79.7
• Household finances

  City data · 10% of score
  Median household income and poverty rate in Lincoln. Similar-size median 50.8.

  68.1
• Growth

  City data, some inputs missing · 9% of score
  Population growth and unemployment in Lincoln. One input is missing, so the score uses the others. Similar-size median 35.2.

  32.9
• Transportation

  City data · 9% of score
  Commute time, long commutes, driving alone, transit, walking, cycling and working from home in Lincoln. Similar-size median 48.3.

  38.0
• Walkability

  City data · 9% of score
  The EPA's walkability index across Lincoln's neighborhoods. Similar-size median 41.1.

  17.4
• Environment

  County data · 5% of score
  Air quality and natural hazard losses in the county. Similar-size median 59.2.

  40.0
• Education

  Not scored

  Too few school records for Lincoln.

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• Outdoor access

  Not scored

  No city-level park or public land measure exists, so outdoor access is not scored for cities.

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Bar: Lincoln's category score out of 100. Tick: median of the 234 places under 25,000 people we track. Shares of score are the category weights rescaled over the categories Lincoln has data for. City scores use city formulas and are not on the same scale as state scores. Grades follow rank among the 1,312 cities. Methodology