Antelope County

General

Population:  6,295
Land area (sq. mi.):  857.16
Population per square mile:  7.3

Race & Age

Race 2020

White:  93.7%
African American:  0.3%
American Indian:  0.3%
Asian:  0.3%
Hispanic:  3.5%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  1.8%

Age 2020

0-17:  24.4%
18-64:  51.3%
65+:  24.4%

Households

Total households:  2,670  2020
With one child:  280  2022
With 2+ children:  470  2022
With seniors (65+):  860  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $68,854  2021
% of population in poverty:  12.1%  2022
# of housing units:  3,112  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  16
Owner-occupied rate:  74.5%  2020
Median home price:  $118,230  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable model):  54.4%  2021

Antelope County Historical Populations

Sources: National Association of Realtors, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Library Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau (building permits), U.S. Census Bureau (demographics), U.S. Census Bureau (municipalities)

Employment, Schools, and Child Care

Unemployment rate:  1.8%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://antelopecounty.nebraska.gov/available-positions

High school graduate or higher:  92.0%  2020

School Districts: Creighton Community Public Schools, Elgin Public Schools, Elkhorn Valley Schools, Neligh-Oakdale Schools, Plainview Public Schools, Summerland Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  18.0%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Northeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  17 providers; 227 children  2024

Find child care: For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.

Antelope County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $717,968,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $127,729,991  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $118,512,000  2022

• Nonfarm small business receipts are reported by partnerships & sole proprietorships and do not include receipts reported by cooperative associations. Nonfarm wage income may include wages earned from Antelope County businesses by commuters or teleworkers residing outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $772,839,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $16,663,000  2022

• Farm & ranch receipt totals for commodity sales and operations are reported by producers operating principally in Antelope County and include those producers' receipts from production in other counties. The totals do not include receipts from sales and operations in Antelope County reported by producers operating principally in other counties.

Cattle Producers:  269

Crop Producers:  389

Dairy Producers:  7

Grain Elevators by Location (bushel capacity):

• Brunswick: J. E. Meuret (10,421,092)
• Copenhagen: J. E. Meuret (1,829,269)
• Elgin: CVA (2,666,000)
• Neligh: Battle Creek (3,765,118), Farmers Pride (3,600,000)
• Oakdale: Battle Creek (1,010,306)
• Orchard: J. E. Meuret (2,223,285)
• Royal: CVA (7,712,000)
• Tilden: CVA (3,186,000)
• (1 bushel = 56 lbs. corn/sorghum, 60 lbs. soybeans/wheat; % max. moisture = 18% beans, 15.5% corn, 14% sorghum/soybeans, 13.5% wheat)

Other Grain Purchasers: 

• Elgin: Niewohner Farms

Railroad Miles:  24.15 main, 1.0 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Brunswick, Copenhagen, Orchard, Royal

Local Grain Market:  Click for today's grain prices per bushel in Antelope County

Farmers Markets:  Neligh Farmers Market (June - October, Saturdays 8:30 - 11 a.m.)

Electricity Providers:  City of Neligh, Elkhorn Rural PPD, Nebraska PPD, North Central PPD, WAPA

Wind Turbines Operating (MW):  307 turbines (675,860 MW total)

Well Locations (Irrigation/Livestock), Soils, Groundwater & Surface Water

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  2,953  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  3.45  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  87  2024

Click the section numbers in the grid below the map for annual groundwater levels.

Note: Geocodes in the map's squares are in the grid next to Township & Range (T&R).

Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Power Review Board, Nebraska Public Service Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury (IRS), Warehouse and Commodity Management Division (USDA)

2023 Levies and Valuation

County levy rate:  $0.3164 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $8,725,438.84

Total local government property taxes levied:  $33,492,615

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $2,757,468,136

Click here for all levy rates in Antelope County

Agricultural Land Valuation Market Areas

Commercial Land Valuation Groups

Residential Land Valuation Groups

County Levy and Taxation Laws

Levy limits

Since 1996, counties and other political subdivisions have been subject to the levy limits listed in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3442 and Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3443.

Property tax statutes and regulations

Nebraska Revised Statutes (Chapter 77)

Nebraska Administrative Code (Title 350)

Local tax reductions, exemptions, and credits:

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-902(5)(a) (Deed "stamp tax" exemption): "The [stamp tax] shall not apply to: ... (5)(a) Deeds between spouses, between ex-spouses for the purpose of conveying any rights to property acquired or held during the marriage, or between parent and child, without actual consideration therefor."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-201(2) (Agricultural land horticultural assessment): "Agricultural land and horticultural land as defined in section 77-1359 shall constitute a separate and distinct class of property for purposes of property taxation, shall be subject to taxation, unless expressly exempt from taxation, and shall be valued at seventy-five percent of its actual value, except that for school district taxes levied to pay the principal and interest on bonds that are approved by a vote of the people on or after January 1, 2022, such land shall be valued at fifty percent of its actual value."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-6703(1) (Tax credit for school district taxes paid): "(1) For taxable years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2020, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, there shall be allowed to each eligible taxpayer a refundable credit against the income tax imposed by the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967 or against the franchise tax imposed by sections 77-3801 to 77-3807. The credit shall be equal to the credit percentage for the taxable year, as set by the department under subsection (2) of this section, multiplied by the amount of school district taxes paid by the eligible taxpayer during such taxable year."

Sources: Nebraska Department of Revenue

State Senator: Barry DeKay (District 40)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Judiciary
• Transportation and Telecommunications
• Government, Military and Veterans Affairs

Special Committees: 

• State-Tribal Relations (vice-chairperson)
• Justice Reinvestment Oversight
• Statewide Tourism and Recreation Water Access and Resource Sustainability

Map and statistics for Legislative District 40

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Antelope County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 12

Year Authorized: 1871

Year Organized: 1871

Etymology: Local pronghorn antelope

     In 1846, a colony of Mormons were among the first Europeans to pass through Antelope County. Twelve years later, when the area was first federally surveyed in 1858, the road which they had established on their way to Utah remained visible in the local soil. As can be seen at the links below, federally-contracted surveyors sketched the Mormon Road on their maps of what would become Bazile and Crawford townships.

     Then sometime in the years that followed, according to local tradition, a posse pursuing a party of livestock thieves in northeast Nebraska ran low on food and survived by hunting the local pronghorn (although these animals are not true antelopes, they are known as such throughout North America, especially on the plains). So in 1871, when the State Legislature was drawing the fledging county’s boundaries and considering names, then-State Senator Leander Gerrard recalled the posse’s adventure and suggested the name Antelope County.

     Oakdale initially became the county’s temporary seat as a result of a delayed messenger. John Neligh had been exploring the Elkhorn River Valley when he decided to purchase over 500 acres of land and persuade county officials to select his site as the county’s seat. He dispatched a messenger to declare his intentions to Antelope County voters, but the messenger got lost and failed to arrive in time for election day. Oakdale triumphed in the election as Antelope Valley’s seat, but the victory was short-lived. During the construction of the new courthouse, a fire burned the building to the ground, and afterwards, a new election for county seat was held. Neligh, a more centrally located site with an extremely vocal advocate in its founder, was selected by residents as the new county seat.

     Among the hallmarks of early Antelope County were its fruit trees, including apple, plum, and cherry. The Neligh Mill was also a critical part of Antelope County, processing hundreds of thousands of bushels of wheat. Today, the mill is a popular tourist destination, as are the Ashfall Fossil Beds, home to well-preserved fossils of ancient hippos, rhinoceroses, horses, and camels. Grove Lake is also a popular destination for fishing, holding the state record for bluegill (2 lb. 13 oz.).

Antelope County Historical Township & Range Maps

Highlight an important program in your county in this space! Send an email to:

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  26

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  386  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  132

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  79.42%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  4,402  2024

Number of Precincts:  8  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  8  2022

Land Area per Polling Place:  107.32 sq. miles  

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: Northeast

Natural Resource Districts: Upper Elkhorn NRD, Lower Elkhorn NRD

State Lands (acres): Grove Lake WMA (1,984.86), Hackberry Creek WMA (233.79), Red Wing WMA (320)

Sources: Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Secretary of State, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)