Nebraska Crime Grades: A-F Safety Ratings for 47 Cities (2024)

Statewide grade B

47 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 64/100 (Above Average).

What is Nebraska’s crime safety grade?

Nebraska earned an overall safety grade of B (score: 64/100, Above Average) based on 2024 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 217.3 per 100,000 and property crime rate of 1630.8 per 100,000. PlainCrime graded 47 Nebraska cities with reportable crime data against national benchmarks, producing an A+ through F score for each jurisdiction. Grades weigh violent and property crime rates: cities more than 50% below the national average typically earn A or A+, while cities significantly above average receive D or F ratings.

Across the 47 graded Nebraska cities, 7 earned A+, 21 earned A, 10 received B, 6 landed at C, 2 received D, and 1 fell to F in the 2024 scoring. The highest-rated city is Laurel with a A+ grade (score: 100/100, violent rate 0/100K). The lowest-rated city is Scottsbluff with a F grade (score: 17/100, violent rate 588/100K).

Roughly 60% of graded cities in Nebraska achieved an A or A+ rating, while 6% received a D or F. Cities missing from this table either did not submit complete 2024 UCR data, fell below the minimum population threshold for reliable rate calculation, or report through consolidated agencies that aggregate into county or regional totals instead of individual city figures. Grade boundaries use the national violent and property crime rate averages for 2024 as the reference point, so grades are directly comparable between Nebraska and other states on the site.

A safety grade condenses several FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) measures into a single letter, ranking each state's violent and property crime rates against the national distribution rather than a fixed cutoff. A high grade therefore means a state compares well to its peers in a given year, not that it is free of crime. Grades move as the underlying rates move and as agency reporting completeness shifts from year to year. Two states with the same letter can have very different profiles: one may carry a higher violent-crime rate offset by low property crime, the other the reverse. Use the grade as a quick orientation, then read the component rates beneath it to see what is actually driving the number for this state.

A+

7 cities

21 cities

10 cities

6 cities

2 cities

1 cities

Laurel

0
Gothenburg

0
Pierce

0
Valley

0
Plattsmouth

14.5
Aurora

63.6
Broken Bow

84.5
Minden

63.7

What this shows Laurel reports the lowest violent-crime rate in Nebraska. At 0 per 100K, it runs well below the Nebraska average of 217.3. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

#	Grade	City	Score	Violent Rate	Property Rate	Population
1	A+	Laurel	100	0/100K	0/100K	940
2	A+	Gothenburg	98	0/100K	263.6/100K	3,414
3	A+	Pierce	98	0/100K	275.9/100K	1,812
4	A+	Valley	98	0/100K	272.6/100K	3,301
5	A+	Plattsmouth	92	14.5/100K	755.9/100K	6,879
6	A+	Aurora	91	63.6/100K	360.4/100K	4,717
7	A+	Broken Bow	90	84.5/100K	140.8/100K	3,552
8	A	Minden	89	63.7/100K	509.6/100K	3,140
9	A	Papillion	88	33.9/100K	1004.4/100K	23,597
10	A	St. Paul	88	82.3/100K	411.5/100K	2,430
11	A	O'Neill	88	111.9/100K	139.8/100K	3,576
12	A	McCook	87	41.7/100K	1041.7/100K	7,200
13	A	Cozad	87	102.1/100K	306.4/100K	3,917
14	A	Seward	86	78.3/100K	652.4/100K	7,664
15	A	La Vista	85	49.4/100K	1184.8/100K	16,205
16	A	Beatrice	85	81.5/100K	823/100K	12,272
17	A	Wahoo	85	99.2/100K	535.7/100K	5,040
18	A	Schuyler	85	122.5/100K	337/100K	6,529
19	A	Columbus	83	85.4/100K	927/100K	24,595
20	A	Wayne	82	128.4/100K	545.6/100K	6,232
21	A	Falls City	81	124.5/100K	747/100K	4,016
22	A	Blair	81	124.7/100K	723.4/100K	8,018
23	A	Bellevue	80	99.2/100K	1132.1/100K	63,510
24	A	Milford	80	179.3/100K	268.9/100K	2,231
25	A	Nebraska City	79	120.3/100K	1002.3/100K	7,483
26	A	Ralston	78	109.8/100K	1208/100K	6,374
27	A	Sidney	75	124.1/100K	1488.8/100K	6,448
28	A	Lexington	75	128.8/100K	1352.7/100K	10,867
29	B	Gordon	73	140.2/100K	1541.7/100K	1,427
30	B	Norfolk	70	202/100K	1143.6/100K	26,234
31	B	Valentine	70	228/100K	873.9/100K	2,632
32	B	Alliance	69	236.8/100K	884.8/100K	8,024
33	B	Ogallala	68	173.2/100K	1710.7/100K	4,618
34	B	Fremont	66	180.1/100K	1890.7/100K	27,767
35	B	York	66	194.6/100K	1642.3/100K	8,220
36	B	Waterloo	65	332.2/100K	221.5/100K	903
37	B	North Platte	63	148.2/100K	2582.2/100K	22,268
38	B	Chadron	62	214.3/100K	1908.8/100K	5,134
39	C	South Sioux City	59	181.1/100K	2652/100K	13,801
40	C	Crete	58	201/100K	2532.5/100K	7,463
41	C	Kearney	56	301.2/100K	1624.9/100K	34,525
42	C	Hastings	51	318.4/100K	2006.9/100K	24,815
43	C	Grand Island	48	367.7/100K	1760.4/100K	52,488
44	C	Lincoln	44	347.9/100K	2445.8/100K	295,808
45	D	Omaha	36	369/100K	3161.8/100K	480,235
46	D	Boys Town	34	574.7/100K	1005.7/100K	696
47	F	Scottsbluff	17	588/100K	2783.2/100K	15,306

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nebraska's overall crime safety grade?

Nebraska has an overall safety grade of B (score: 64/100). This is based on the state's aggregate violent crime rate of 217.3 per 100K and property crime rate of 1630.8 per 100K compared to national averages.

How many cities in Nebraska have an A+ safety grade?

7 cities in Nebraska earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 21 additional cities earned an A grade.

Which is the safest city in Nebraska?

Laurel is the highest-rated city in Nebraska with a A+ grade (score: 100/100). Its violent crime rate is 0 per 100K.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

Compare Nebraska's grade distribution with neighboring states, or use the compare tool to benchmark jurisdictions side-by-side.

Explore More

Nebraska Crime Overview → Safest Cities in Nebraska → All State Grades →

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2024. Safety scores based on violent and property crime rates vs. national averages published in FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with FBI.gov UCR and Census.gov QuickFacts.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.