What it's like to live in Lincoln
Lincoln is a smaller city in California with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lincoln deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Lincoln compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lincoln
Based on Lincoln's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,180
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $83,600 a year
- 59% of Lincoln renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$130,200
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $65,100
- Homes cost 5.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 48% above US
$2,090/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,090 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $651,000. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $651,000 · 59% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 72% below US
92 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 485/100k · Lincoln Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 29.8 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 23% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 11% above US
40% bachelor's degree or higher
The population is well-educated, with 40% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.
Schools
15 public schools inside the boundary
There are 15 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 23:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (69 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lincoln's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,090/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime, remote workers (23% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
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