LINCOLN is now under coverage.
Local dating, modeled. Every signal in Lincoln, converted into a tactical roadmap.
Greater Lincoln is open as a field office. The headline reads:
An estimated 70,000 Greater Lincoln adults ages 22 to 50 are single.
A market-rate one-bedroom in Lincoln asks about $900 a month, cheap for a state capital.
The metro runs male-heavy, about 56% men to 44% women among singles.
Median individual income across the metro is about $39,800.
The shape of the market
- Singles, 22 to 50
69,879
- Gender balance
56%
Among Lincoln couples, about 14% live together unmarried rather than married, above the national 13%.
Even the most balanced zone, East Lincoln, runs about 52% male.
Lincoln runs about 56% male, sharpest in Northeast Lincoln (65%) and Near South (60%).
About 53% of Lincoln households are couple households — married or living together — below the national 54%; the rest are people living alone or with roommates.
How dating actually happens
Only about 14% of matches on curated apps like Hinge turn into a first date.
Roughly 1 in 10 partnered adults met their partner online, and the share climbs sharply for younger and LGB couples.
One in four matches never gets a reply.
53% of online daters say their overall experience has been positive.
The figures above are national benchmarks. In Lincoln, date-spot density is thickest in Downtown Lincoln, West Lincoln, and South Lincoln — the most reliable neighborhoods to take the dating offline.
Dating safety in Lincoln
78% of active dating-app users report burnout: 80% of women (driven by message volume) and 74% of men (driven by a lack of responses).
60% of Americans support requiring a background check before someone can create a dating profile.
An estimated 26% of men have received unsolicited explicit content, far below the rate for women.
56% of women under 50 have been sent unsolicited explicit images while dating online.
48% of online daters have faced at least one form of harassing behavior on a dating platform.
43% of women under 50 say a match kept contacting them after they said no.
52% of online daters say a scammer or bot has contacted them.
63% of men under 50 say a scammer or bot has contacted them, the highest of any group.
11% of women under 50 have been physically threatened on a dating platform.
40% of daters say platforms do a bad job removing fake and bot accounts; only 20% say they do well.
These are national safety benchmarks. The practical local move is the same everywhere — meet first in a busy, public place; in Lincoln the highest-traffic date districts are Downtown Lincoln, West Lincoln, and South Lincoln.
The LGBTQ+ landscape
53% of LGB adults have used a dating app, far more than straight adults.
About 24% of LGB couples met online, roughly three times the straight rate.
About 70% of LGB adults under 30 have used a dating app, the highest-adoption cohort anywhere.
7.6% of U.S. adults now identify as LGBTQ+, up from 3.5% in 2012.
22.3% of adults aged 18 to 34 identify as LGBTQ+.
Political alignment
24% of Americans say they could never date someone who disagrees with them on abortion.
About 25% register Nonpartisan, so the seven-point Republican edge is softer than it looks in this capital-and-college county.
Nebraska registers voters by party, and Lancaster County (Lincoln) is Republican-plurality at about 40% to 33% Democratic — but with a big nonpartisan bloc it is the most competitive large county in Nebraska, kept close by the state capital and the university.
47% of single daters would not seriously date a Trump voter; among Democratic women that rises to 79%.
69% of Americans would not date someone who is unemployed, rising to 81% of women.
The cost of dating
- Median income
$39,753
- 1-bedroom rent
$900
A single adult in Lancaster County needs about $43,000 a year just to cover the basics.
Lincoln’s one-bedroom rents are cheap for a state capital, holding roughly flat year over year.
Americans reported $1.3 billion in romance-scam losses in a single year, a tax on every crowded market.
A StarTran bus fare in Lincoln is $1.25 one way.
Neighborhood intelligence
| Downtown Lincoln | 8,792 | 55 / 45 | $11,738 | $785 |
| Northwest Lincoln | 8,701 | 55 / 45 | $39,466 | $1,231 |
| Southeast Lincoln | 6,215 | 57 / 43 | $51,145 | $1,261 |
| University Place | 5,593 | 60 / 40 | $33,002 | $1,064 |
| Near South | 5,463 | 60 / 40 | $39,320 | $850 |
| East Lincoln | 4,956 | 52 / 48 | $42,784 | $1,180 |
| Havelock | 4,501 | 53 / 47 | $39,795 | $1,157 |
| Northeast Lincoln | 3,062 | 65 / 35 | $40,493 | $882 |
| South Lincoln | 2,320 | 59 / 41 | $52,174 | $1,251 |
| West Lincoln | 1,967 | 56 / 44 | $43,580 | $1,351 |
| Beatrice | — | — | $33,713 | $761 |
| Crete | — | — | $35,616 | $945 |
| Seward | — | — | $36,928 | $1,035 |
| Wahoo | — | — | $40,744 | $901 |
| Waverly | — | — | $54,970 | $1,116 |
| York | — | — | $35,809 | $876 |
Local date spots
- Downtown LincolnDining
Buzzard Billy's
- South LincolnDining
Lazlo's Brewery & Grill - South
- Downtown LincolnDining
LeadBelly
- Downtown LincolnActivity
Museum of American Speed
Wheelchair access - HavelockDining
Engine House Cafe
- East LincolnDining
The Eatery Restaurant
- Near SouthDining
El Chaparro
- HavelockDining
The Green Gateau
- West LincolnDining
Toast
- East LincolnActivity
Entrap Escape Rooms
Wheelchair access - Downtown LincolnCafés
Hurts Donut Co.
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - West LincolnDrinks
Big Red Restaurant & Sports Bar - Lincoln West
- HavelockDining
Isles Pub & Pizza
- Southeast LincolnDining
Venue Restaurant & Lounge
- Downtown LincolnActivity
Lied Center for Performing Arts
Wheelchair access - West LincolnDining
Show Stoppers Family Dining & Entertainment
- Downtown LincolnActivity
Lincoln Children's Museum
Wheelchair access - Southeast LincolnActivity
Round1 Bowling & Arcade - Lincoln
Wheelchair access - Downtown LincolnCafés
Ivanna Cone
LGBTQ+ friendlyGood for groups - Northeast LincolnActivity
Madsen’s Bowling & Billiards and EJ’s Lounge & Grill
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - Near SouthDining
Piedmont Bistro
- Downtown LincolnActivity
Sun Valley Lanes & Games
Wheelchair access - University PlaceDining
Banhwich Cafe
- Downtown LincolnCafés
The Mill Coffee and Tea
- West LincolnActivity
University of Nebraska State Museum - Morrill Hall
Wheelchair access - Northwest LincolnDining
Yia Yia's
- West LincolnDining
Vincenzo's Ristorante
- South LincolnCafés
The Mill Coffee
- Downtown LincolnDining
Single Barrel
- West LincolnDining
Villa Amore
- University PlaceDining
The Hub Cafe
- HavelockDining
Misty's Restaurant & Lounge
- South LincolnDrinks
The Press Box Sports Bar & Grille
- East LincolnDrinks
Rosie's Sports Bar & Grill
- Northwest LincolnDining
Down The Hatch Bar & Grill
- Southeast LincolnActivity
Escape De Facto / Escape Room
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - University PlaceDining
Woodees
- Northeast LincolnCafés
UNL Dairy Store
Good for groupsWheelchair access - East LincolnDining
Fattoush Restaurant/مطعم فتوش
- Southeast LincolnActivity
Parkway Lanes / 48 Bowl
Wheelchair access - West LincolnDrinks
Sportscasters Bar & Grill
- East LincolnCafés
Zesto
Wheelchair access - Near SouthDrinks
Barry's The Nebraska Bar
- Northeast LincolnActivity
Prehistoric Putt Lincoln
Wheelchair access - South LincolnDining
Florio's Italian Restaurant
- South LincolnActivity
Adventure Golf Center
Wheelchair access - Downtown LincolnCafés
Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso
- Southeast LincolnDining
Billy's
- West LincolnCafés
NEVERIA SAN MARCOS
Good for groupsWheelchair access - East LincolnDining
Heoya | North
- South LincolnDrinks
Cappy's Hotspot Bar & Grill
- Near SouthDining
Lila Mae’s Southern Kitchen & Lounge
- West LincolnCafés
The Coffee House
- East LincolnDining
Ollie & Hobbes Craft Kitchen | Lincoln
- University PlaceDining
HF Crave
- South LincolnCafés
Goldenrod Pastries
LGBTQ+ friendlyWheelchair access - West LincolnCafés
Crescent Moon Coffee
- University PlaceCafés
Cultiva Downtown
- South LincolnCafés
Mo Java Cafe
- University PlaceDining
Cultiva East Campus