Can A Police Officer Afford Rent in Scottsbluff, NE?

Comfortably affordable — rent takes 15.7% of gross income.

Scottsbluff rent: May 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (Nebraska state estimate).

Scottsbluff median rent
$938/mo
Police Officer salary (Nebraska)
$71,861/yr
Rent as % of income
15.7%
Gross monthly income works out to about $5,988, and the 30% rule supports up to $1,797/mo in rent. Scottsbluff's median rent of $938 leaves roughly $859/mo of headroom under that threshold. A police officer works roughly 27.2 hours a month to cover that rent.

About rent and a police officer salary

The gap between a police officer's base pay and the rent in the city they patrol is a widely tracked local affordability question. Many large-city departments now publish recruitment materials that include a local-rent comparison, because affordability has become a recruiting issue. At the national-average officer base pay, the 30% rule supports about $1,932 a month in rent. The per-city pages combine local rent with local officer-pay estimates to show where rent stays within that range.

Compare with full rent data for Scottsbluff

View full rent data for Scottsbluff, NE

Frequently asked questions

Can a police officer afford rent in Scottsbluff, NE?

Median rent in Scottsbluff is $938 a month. A typical police officer in Nebraska earns about $71,861 a year, which makes that rent 15.7% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.

How much rent can a police officer afford in Scottsbluff?

Using the 30% rule, a police officer salary in Nebraska (~$71,861/yr) supports up to $1,797 a month in rent. Scottsbluff's current median rent is $938/mo, which leaves a $859/mo buffer.

How many hours does a police officer work to cover rent in Scottsbluff?

At an hourly equivalent of about $35 an hour, a police officer in Nebraska works roughly 27.2 hours a month to cover Scottsbluff's median rent of $938.

Methodology: Salary uses the BLS-derived Nebraska state estimate from OEWS May 2024. Rent is the most recent ZORI monthly value for Scottsbluff, NE. Affordability applies the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income). Real take-home varies with taxes, household composition, overtime, tips, and benefits.