Cuming County

General

Population:  9,013
Land area (sq. mi.):  570.52
Population per square mile:  15.8

Race & Age

Race  2020

White:  84.7%
African American:  0.2%
American Indian:  0.3%
Asian:  0.2%
Hispanic:  12.3%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.1%
Two or More Races:  1.8%

Age  2020

0-17:  24.6%
18-64:  53.4%
65+:  22.1%

Households

Total households:  3,668  2020
With one child:  400  2022
With 2+ children:  620  2022
With seniors (65+):  1,080  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $75,151  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  9.5%  2022
# of Housing Units:  4,123  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  21
Owner-occupied rate:  71.3%  2020
Median home price:  $184,710  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  63.5%  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:  1.8%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://cumingcountyne.gov/employment/

High school graduate or higher:  90.0%  2020

School Districts:  Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools, Howells-Dodge Consolidated Schools, Logan View Public Schools, Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools, Oakland Craig Public Schools, Pender Public Schools, Scribner-Snyder Community Schools, West Point Public Schools, Wisner-Pilger Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  23.1%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Northeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  16 providers; 299 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.

Cuming County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $1,020,186,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $172,928,650  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $181,531,000  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 Cuming County businesses by commuters or teleworkers residing outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $1,583,912,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $27,499,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  320

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $74/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  170

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $280/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $340/acre  2024

Dairy Producers:  2

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Bancroft: Brancroft Grain (598,243)
• West Point: Grain States Soya (3,637,997), Prinz Grain & Feed (1,689,083)
• Wisner: ADM (3,892,000)
• (1 bushel = 56 lbs. corn/sorghum, 60 lbs. soybeans/wheat; % max. moisture = 18% beans, 15.5% corn, 14% sorghum/soybeans, 13.5% wheat)

Farmers Market:  West Point Farmers Market on the Avenue ( June 5 - August 28, Saturdays from 8:00 am - 11:00 am)

Local Grain Market:  Click for today's grain prices in Cuming County

Electricity Providers:  Burt County PPD, City of West Point, City of Wisner, Cuming County PPD, Stanton County PPD

Wind Turbines Operating (MW):  1 turbines (59,400 MW unknown)

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  678  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  0.61  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  61  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Elkhorn River at West Point

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 Valuations

County levy rate:  $0.1354 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $4,169,104

Total local government property taxes levied:  $33,035,074

Total countywide taxable valuation  $3,078,870,467

Click here for all levy rates in Cuming 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: Ben Hansen (District 16)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Health and Human Services
• Agriculture
• Business and Labor

Select Committees:

• Rules

Map and statistics for Legislative District 16

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Cuming County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 3

Year Authorized: 1855

Year Organized: 1857

Etymology: Thomas Cuming (Nebraska Territorial Governor)

    Selfless public service was one of the original cornerstones of Cuming County, named after Thomas Cuming, twice Nebraska’s territory governor. After helping organize the territory in 1857, Cuming County’s first county officials appear to have served without pay and also used their own money to purchase supplies necessary to run the county. The county seat drifted between planned sites until landing on a settlement called New Philadelphia, later renamed West Point. As with many Nebraska counties, Cuming County grew up amidst territory occupied by Native American tribes prior to European settlement. In this instance, the Omaha and Pawnee lost territory (including the hunting grounds of the Elkhorn Valley) following pioneer expansion across Nebraska.

     During its first two decades, Cuming County quickly developed, and a courthouse was built only thirteen years after the county was organized. There is some dispute over the settling of key towns in the county, but most research suggests that the Bruner brothers were influential in settling the area near West Point, likely at the behest of the Nebraska Settlement Association. The county experienced a railroad boom in the late 19th century, more than tripling in size. The county witnessed the construction of hotels, businesses, mills, and other supporting infrastructure. Unlike other urban county centers, the two principal cities of West Pointe and Wisner have largely maintained the populations gain made in the early 20th century.

Business Improvement Grants (B.I.G.): Thanks to the continued support from the Donald E. Nielsen Foundation, the Cuming County Economic Development (CCED) is able to provide Business Improvement Grants for local businesses. The CCED uses this grant to help businesses upgrade their exteriors, interiors, and marketing efforts. The grant offers a cash match up to $2,500 for exterior expenses related to paint, signage, lighting, and windows, among others, and a cash match up to $1,000 for interior expenses related to lighting, flooring, furnace, paint, ceiling, shelving, and equipment. The grant also offers a cash match up to $1,000 for marketing expenses related to website development, photography, e-commerce, and marketing-related seminars.  

Commercial & Housing Demolition Program: The Donald E. Nielsen Foundation awarded the CCED this grant for the purpose of assisting eligible communities in Cuming County with demolishing dilapidated commercial and residential structures, as well as cleaning up the area for future redevelopment. The grant offers a cash match up to $15,000 for commercial projects and up to $5,000 for residential demolition projects. 

To learn more information about the Business Improvement Grant or the Commercial & Housing Demolition Program visit sweethomecumingcounty.com. 

LB840 Funds: The communities of Bancroft, Beemer, and West Point offer LB480 funds for the purpose of creating new jobs, attracting new retail businesses, broadening the tax base, generating employment opportunities, expanding the labor market, and attracting new capital investment.  For more information about the LB840 funds visit sweethomecumingcounty.com. 

For more information about the Cuming County programs, please contact David Branch, the Director of Cuming County Economic Development, at (402) 372-6001 or via email.

Owner-Occupied Housing Funds:  This partnership with Federal Home Loan Bank and F&M Bank allows CCED to help county communities with housing projects. These funds are based off of income and the applicant must be the owner of the house.  Eligible rehabilitation or repair projects may include but are not limited to issues involving accessibility, roof, electrical, plumbing, sewer, mechanical, foundation or other structural, windows, doors, floor coverings, wall repair, paint, or hazardous material remediation. 

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  24

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  559  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  355

Number of County-Owned Dams:  1

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  77.00%  2022

Total Registered Voters:  5,844  2020

Number of Precincts:  6  2020

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  6  2020

Land Area per Polling Place:  95.77 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Lower Loup NRD, Lower Platte North NRD, Lower Platte South NRD, Upper Big Blue NRD

State Lands (acres): Black Island WMA (204.62)

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)