Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Dakota instead of Nebraska, you would:
Health
live 0.8 years less
In Nebraska, the average life expectancy is 78 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In North Dakota, that number is 77 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2020.
Economy
be 16.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Nebraska, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Dakota, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
Safety
be 16.4% more likely to be a victim of violent crime
Nebraska has a violent crime rate of 225 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In North Dakota, that number is 262 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 1.1 minutes less
The average one-way commute in Nebraska takes 19.1 minutes as of 2023. In North Dakota, it takes 18.0 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 56.0% less densely populated
Nebraska has a population density of 10.0 people per sq km as of 2023. In North Dakota, that number is 4.4 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 45.4% less likely to be food insecure
In Nebraska, 9.7% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In North Dakota, that number is 5.3% as of 2021.
be 10.2% more likely to smoke
In Nebraska, 14.7% of adults smoke as of 2022. In North Dakota, that number is 16.2% as of 2022.
live among residents who are 1.4 years older on average
The median age in Nebraska is 37.1 years as of 2023. In North Dakota, the median age is 35.7 years as of 2023.
be 41.9% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Nebraska, 4.3% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In North Dakota, that number is 2.5% as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), OECD Regional Demography (2020–2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
