Elevation of Lincoln
1,202ft
above sea level · 366 m
Lincoln is the capital of Nebraska. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 10th highest. The state’s largest city is Omaha.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 40.80° N · 96.67° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 40° 48′ 0″ N · 96° 40′ 1″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 14T · 696,812 E · 4,519,175 N
- Zone 14 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 301,522 people
- 103 sq mi of land · 2,941 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2017: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Lincoln had 301,522 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 3.5% more than in April 2020, when it had 291,351. Its 103 sq mi of land work out to 2,941 people/sq mi; the state average is 26 people/sq mi.
It’s the 2nd most populous of the 593 places the Census counts in Nebraska (cities, towns and CDPs), after Omaha (488,797), and holds 15% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Lancaster County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.8 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Lincoln sits at 1,202 ft (366 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Lincoln is 104 ft above it.
Among the 91 cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 16th highest.
The highest point in Nebraska is Panorama Point, at 5,424 ft according to the USGS: 4,222 ft above Lincoln, 385 mi away in a straight line.
- 10 Lincoln 1,202 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Lincoln.
What is the elevation of Lincoln?
Lincoln is 1,202 feet (366 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Lincoln?
Latitude 40.80000 and longitude -96.66696, in decimal degrees (40° 48′ 0″ N · 96° 40′ 1″ W). In UTM, zone 14: 696,812 E and 4,519,175 N, on NAD83.
How does Lincoln rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 10th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Lincoln in?
Lancaster County, Nebraska.
Which is higher, Lincoln or Omaha?
Lincoln. Lincoln sits at 1,202 ft and Omaha at 1,056 ft: a difference of 146 ft, 49 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know