Lincoln, NE vs Omaha, NE

Omaha, NE and Lincoln, NE spend within 0.5% of each other per resident — $11,180 versus $11,125 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.

Omaha, NE holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 90/100 (grade A) against 52/100 (grade C) for Lincoln, NE — a 38-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.

Omaha, NE reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Lincoln, NE carries $788 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: parks and recreation leads in Lincoln, NE at $950 per resident and in Omaha, NE at $742.

They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Lincoln, NE at 333% of total revenue, whereas Omaha, NE relies most on other revenue at 17%.