Gage County

General

Population:  21,704
Land area (sq. mi.):  851.46
Population per square mile:  25.5

Race & Age

Race  2020

White:  92.4%
African American:  0.6%
American Indian:  0.4%
Asian:  0.5%
Hispanic:  2.9%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  3.1%

Age  2020

0-17:  22.6%
18-64:  55.8%
65+:  21.6%

Households

Total households:  9,284  2020
With one child:  1,080  2022
With 2+ children:  1,330  2022
With seniors (65+):  2,490  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $63,862  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  10.2%  2022
# of Housing Units:  10,327  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  31
Owner-occupied rate:  70.3%  2020
Median home price:  $182,510  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  75.7%  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:  2.3%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://gagecountynebraska.us/webpages/links/public_notices.html

High school graduate or higher:  90.5%  2020

School Districts:  Beatrice Public Schools, Crete Public Schools, Diller-Odell Public Schools, Freeman Public Schools, Lewiston Consolidated Schools, Norris School District 160, Southern School District, Tri County Public Schools, Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  20.7%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Southeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  43 providers; 1,144 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.

Gage County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $1,289,035,000  2020

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $388,073,213  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $424,419,000  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 a Gage County business by commuters or teleworkers residing outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $388,365,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $21,744,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  315

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $52/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  236

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $174/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $301/acre  2024

Dairy Producers:  4

Ethanol Plants (annual production capacity):  E-Energy Adams (100 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity): 

• Adams: Frontier (710,008)
• Barneston: Farmers (1,358,362)
• Beatrice: Farmers (3,700,481), Farmers (750,337)
• Blue Springs: Farmers (918,872)
• Ellis: Farmers (364,290)
• Filley: Farmers (263,732)
• Holmesville: Farmers (842,598)
• Odell: Farmers (2,744,767)
• Pickrell: Farmers (1,087,258)
• Virginia: Farmers (1,801,612)
• Wymore: Farmers (436,872)
• (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:  37.23 main, 4.78 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Adams, Beatrice, Clatonia

Grain Co-ops and Purchasers:  E-Energy Adams, Farmers Union Coop, Frontier

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

Farmers Markets:

• Beatrice Downtown Farmers Market (Mid-May - Mid-October, Thursdays 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM)
• Wymore Farmers Market (June - Frost, Tuesdays 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM)

Electricity Providers:  City of Beatrice, City of Fairbury, City of Wymore, Norris PPD, Village of De Witt

Wind Turbines Operating (MW):  12 turbines (20,400 MW total)

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  789  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  0.93  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  496  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on Turkey Creek near DeWitt

Streamflow data on the Big Blue River at Barneston

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: $0.2934 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied: $11,053,759

Total local government property taxes levied: $58,479,764

Total countywide taxable valuation: $3,767,618,478

Federal PILT payment to Blaine County (FY2022): $606 regarding 181 federally-owned acres

Click here for all levy rates in Gage 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: Myron Dorn (District 30)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Appropriations

Special Committees: 

• Legislative Performance Audit (chairperson)
• Building Maintenance

Map and statistics for Legislative District 30

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Gage County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 30

Year Authorized: 1855

Year Organized: 1857

Etymology: William Gage (Nebraska's 1st chaplain of the state legislature)

     Gage County boasts a place of national historical significance. According to the historical records of the General Land Office in Washington D.C., on January 1, 1863, Daniel Freeman filed the first claim under the U.S. Homestead Act. The claim was located just west of Beatrice, near Cub Creek. Although numerous settlers filed homestead claims on January 1, the official records list Daniel Freeman’s as the first.

     Gage County was founded in 1857, one of the original eighteen counties established by the 1854 Nebraska Territorial Legislature. The county was named in honor of William Gage, the chaplain of the Legislature at the time. Gage would also serve as one of the first county commissioners and help designate Beatrice as the county seat. The county seat was named after the middle name of a judge’s daughter; the judge was a member of a group called the Nebraska Association whose purpose was to establish a community in Nebraska territory. Although the city of Blue Springs challenged Beatrice for the county seat, the state legislature confirmed Beatrice as the Gage County seat in 1859.

     Gage County is also notable for its Welsh heritage. Wymore, founded in 1881, drew hundreds of Welsh immigrants who built a church and school centered on their language and traditions. The Welsh heritage and its impact on local history has been preserved for generations by the Wymore Welsh Heritage Project.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  3

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  1,426  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  333

Number of County-Owned Dams:  1

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  76.09%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  14,657  2022

Number of Precincts:  10  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  9  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  106.43 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Lower Big Blue NRD, Nemaha NRD

State Lands (acres): Arrowhead WMA (320), Diamond Lake WMA (301.50), Donald Whitney WMA (50), Rockford Lake SRA (436.25)

Federal Lands (acres): Homestead National Historical Park (211)

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)