Omaha was originally located in the territory occupied by the Omaha Native American tribe. Much of the city's history and culture is derived from its Native American roots. There is still a remnant of the different tribes that were located throughout the state of Nebraska. Moving on into the early and mid 20th century, the primary ethnic makeup of the area was European. There were significant immigrant populations from Western European countries such as Italy, France, Spain, and Germany, and Eastern European countries such as Poland and Russia. However, more recently the ethnic landscape has undergone a drastic shift.

The largest foreign-born group in the greater Omaha area are the Latino people. They comprise more than half of the immigrant population, and they are the fastest growing people group in the metro area. The largest is the Mexican people group, and there is also a growing Central American population from countries such as El Salvador, and Guatemala. The large majority of the Hispanic foreign-born population have arrived in Omaha after 1990, and the immigration rate is expected to increase in the future.