Box Butte County

General

Population: 10,842
Land area (sq. mi.): 1,075.36
Population per square mile: 10.1

Race & Age

Race 2020

White: 80.1%
African American: 0.6%
American Indian: 2.7%
Asian: 0.7%
Hispanic: 11.5%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Two or More Races: 4.3%

Age 2020

0-17: 25.2%
18-64: 54.2%
65+: 20.6%

Households

Total households:  4,566  2020
With one child:  570  2022
With 2+ children:  780  2022
With seniors (65+):  1,240  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $55,642  2021
% of population in poverty:  9.5%  2022
# of housing units:  5,234  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  5
Owner-occupied rate:  69.4%  2020
Median home price:  $152,600  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable model): 94.1%  2021

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:  2.0%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://boxbuttecountyne.gov/webpages/links/public_notices.html

High school graduate or higher:  91.2%  2020

School Districts:  Alliance Public Schools, Bayard Public Schools, Bridgeport Public Schools, Hemingford Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  17.7%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Western Community College

County-wide early childhood care capacity:  16 providers; 266 children  2024

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

Box Butte County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $691,799,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $560,190,035  2021

• Nonfarm small business receipts are reported by partnerships & sole proprietorships and do not include receipts reported by cooperative associations.

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $204,700,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $585,758,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $17,390,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  146

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $17/acre/yr  2024

Crop Producers:  170

• Dryland Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $46/acre/yr  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $200/acre/yr  2024

Grain Elevators and Dry Bean Processors by Location (bushel capacity):

• Alliance: Kelley Bean (dry beans) (233,000), Legacy (grain) (4,811,000), New Alliance (dry beans) (1,055,000), Trinidad/Benham (dry beans) (179,000)
• Hemingford: Legacy (grain) (5,887,000), New Alliance (dry beans) (402,000)
• (1 bushel = 56 lbs. corn/sorghum, 60 lbs. soybeans/wheat; % max. moisture = 18% beans, 15.5% corn, 14% sorghum/soybeans, 13.5% wheat)

Railroad Miles: 87.39 main, 95.92 side

• Places with Railroad Service: Alliance, Berea, Hemingford, Prairie

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

Electricity Providers: City of Alliance, Chimney Rock PPD, Nebraska PPD, Northwest Rural PPD, PREMA, Village of Hemingford

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  1,527  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  1.42  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  17  2024

Click here for real time groundwater level data near Carhenge (3 mi. north of Alliance)

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)

2022 Levies and Valuations

County levy rate: $0.3365 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied: $5,583,527

Total local government property taxes levied: $27,434,702

Total countywide taxable valuation: $1,659,509,240

Click here for all levy rates in Box Butte County

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.

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) (Valuation of agricultural land and horticultural land): "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-Elect: Paul E. Strommen

State Senator: Steve Erdman (District 47)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Appropriations

Select Committees:

• Rules (chairperson)
• Committee on Committees

Map and statistics for Legislative District 47

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Box Butte County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 4

Year Authorized: 1886

Year Organized: 1886

Etymology: Box-shaped butte north of the county seat

     Named after a box-shaped butte north of Alliance, Box Butte County is renown for its agricultural and livestock production. The territory was originally part of Dawes County until 1886, when the southern half of Dawes County split off and became what is now Box Butte County. The county seat shifted multiple times in the county’s early years. Originally, Nonpareil (meaning, “unmatched” or “unrivaled”) was the county seat, but Hemingford won a special election for the county seat only a couple of years later. However, due to suspicions about fraudulent activity, the election was contested in multiple lawsuits before the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled in 1899 that Alliance had won the county seat.

     However, Alliance was initially named Grand Lake. According to local accounts, Burlington Railroad Superintendent George W. Holdrege recommended rechristening the town “Alliance” due to its unique moniker and the fact that its alphabetization would place it before many other Nebraska towns. County residents agreed and established a post office.

     The railroad and homestead laws were both integral to Box Butte’s development. Even today, Alliance serves as a critical junction for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad carrying coal out of Wyoming. As with most other Nebraska counties, agriculture is another county lifeblood. Tens of thousands of acres of land in Box Butte County are dedicated to growing wheat, beans, sorghum, and sugar beets.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  65

Time Zone:  Mountain

Number of Veterans:  615  2024

Zoned County:  Yes

County Hospital:  Box Butte General Hospital

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  9

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  71.39%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  6,915  2024

Number of Precincts:  8  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  3  2022

Land Area per Polling Place:  358.45 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Upper Niobrara-White NRD

State Lands (acres): Beaver Bend WMA (26.99)

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. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)