Gosper County

General

Population:  1,893
Land area (sq. mi.):  458.16
Population per square mile:  4.1

Race & Age

Race  2020

White:  92.2%
African American:  0.1%
American Indian:  0.2%
Asian:  0.6%
Hispanic:  5.0%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  1.8%

Age  2020

0-17:  21.2%
18-64:  54.1%
65+:  24.7%

Households

Total households:  789  2020
With one child:  50  2022
With 2+ children:  100  2022
With seniors (65+):  250  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $65,828  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  9.5%  2022
# of Housing Units:  1,148  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  8
Owner-occupied rate:  75.5%  2020
Median home price:  $238,660  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  30.5%  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:  2.0%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://co.gosper.ne.us/webpages/links/public_notices.html

High school graduate or higher:  94.8%  2020

School Districts:  Arapahoe Public Schools, Bertrand Public Schools, Cambridge Public Schools, Elwood Public Schools, Eustis-Farnam Public Schools, Lexington Public Schools, Southern Valley Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  29.1%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Central Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  6 providers; 85 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.

Gosper County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $117,435,000  2020

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $22,568,076  2021

• 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 Gosper County business for telework that is performed partially outside of Nebraska.

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $32,609,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $163,437,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $8,756,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers: 151

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.): $38/acre/yr

Crop Producers: 139

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.): $82/acre/yr
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.): $262/acre/yr

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Smithfield: CHS (1,342,000)
• (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:  20.72 main, 1.00 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Elwood, Smithfield

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

Electricity Providers: Dawson PPD, Southern PPD, Twin Valleys PPD

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  959  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  2.09  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  29  2024

Click for real time:

Groundwater level data at Rd. 420 & Dr. 728 (15 mi. southwest of Elwood)

Groundwater level data at Rd. 417 & 726 Rd. (18.5 mi. southwest of Elwood)

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:  $0.2067 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $2,057,058

Total local government property taxes levied:  $11,373,766

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $994,967,495

Click here for all levy rates in Gosper 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: Teresa J. Ibach (District 44)

• Agriculture (vice chairperson)
• Business and Labor (vice chairperson)
• Nebraska Retirement Systems (vice chairperson)
• Judiciary

Select Committees:

• Rules

Special Committees: 

• Building Maintenance
• Legislature's Planning

Map and statistics for Legislative District 44

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Gosper County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 1

Year Authorized: 1873

Year Organized: 1881

Etymology: John Gosper (Nebraska secretary of state)

     The history of Gosper is one of abrupt population shifts, subsequent grappling over the county seat, and the rise and fall of ambitious towns. In 1873, the Nebraska Legislature authorized the organization of Gosper County, named after John Gosper, Nebraska’s then-Secretary of State. Since Daviesville was operating the area’s primary post office, it made sense to designate it as the county seat. A few months later, the county board authorized the construction of a courthouse but failed to secure sufficient funding, forcing officials to maintain county records in their homes and offices. Daviesville would never see a courthouse. A rival settlement named Homerville emerged and enjoyed a minor population boom in anticipation of the railroad. In 1882, Homerville eclipsed Daviesville by seizing the county seat, and the latter never recovered, fading into the pages of Gosper County history. 

     However, Homerville would soon follow suit, for the railroad never arrived and instead passed through a town named Elwood, platted in 1885. Elwood began attracting large numbers of settlers, and 1888, it won the county seat from Homerville, who protested the outcome by filing an injunction that merely delayed the inevitable. In 1889, construction crews demolished the Homerville courthouse and transported the lumber to Elwood, where it was used to erect the new courthouse. Elwood began consolidating the county’s population, leaving the town of Smithfield as the only other village in Gosper county.

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Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  73

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  120  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  49

Number of County-Owned Dams:  12

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  80.08%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  1,431  2024

Number of Precincts:  3  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  3  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  154.24 sq. miles

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

Natural Resource District: Tri-Basin NRD

State Lands (acres): East Canyon Lakes WMA (10.30), Elwood Reservoir WMA (724), Johnson Lake SRA (68)

Federal Lands (acres): Elley WPA (60), Peterson Basin WMA (1,156.09), Victor Lakes WPA (237.50)

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)