Highlands is a neighborhood of 7,940 residents in Lincoln, about 4 miles north of downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Highlands in Lincoln safe?
Yes, crime in Highlands is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Highlands sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 50% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-. Lincoln as a whole grades B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Highlands run from A to B-, so check the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 838 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
50% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Highlands as a whole, and 50% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Highlands scores 838.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Highlands, Lincoln, NE at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Highlands in Lincoln, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Highlands
Thefts from cars happen at homes far more often than nationally. In Lincoln as a whole, 61% of reported thefts from cars happen at homes, against 34% nationally.
Crime rates and types in Highlands
CrimeGrade™ estimates Highlands has about 34 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 9% less than the US as a whole and 37% less than Lincoln as a whole.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
The largest share of crime reported in Highlands is assault, about 31% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Lincoln
The Lincoln Police Department polices Highlands; these figures cover Lincoln as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Lincoln as a whole, 70% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (70%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (58%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (52%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Homes (30%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (56%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Highlands compares with nearby neighborhoods
Highlands has the least crime of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.
Parking lots, empty homes and walkability in Highlands
Two things set Highlands apart: it has 4.5 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 1.2% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with a lot of parking-lot space tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.4.5 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 98% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 97% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (8 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 95% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Highlands: D+ (20 of 100).1 trips an hourUS: noneLower than for 88% of residents of US city neighborhoods
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Highlands
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Highlands about $785 a year per household, 35% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $5.9 million a year, or $739 per resident.
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Highlands means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Highlands is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Highlands, Lincoln, NE average a SchoolGrade of D-: 51% of students test proficient, against 45% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Highlands on SchoolGrade
