- General Info
- Demographics
- Education and Employment
- Valuation and Taxes Levied
- State Senators
- History
- County Programs
- Other Information
Gosper County Seat (pop.): Gosper (658)
Cities, Towns, and Villages (pop.): Smithfield (60)
Courthouse Address and Hours:
507 Smith Avenue
Elwood, Nebraska 68937
M-F 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
County Board Chairperson: Terry Lerdall
Complete list of county board members
County Board Meetings: 2nd Wednesday & Lasting working day of month, except Thursday or Friday
View the County's Government Maps
NACO District: West Central
District President: Brett Nason, McPherson County Commissioner
District First Vice President: Corey Crandall, Keith County Commissioner
District Second Vice President: Ron Wertz, Hitchcock County Commissioner
District Secretary/Treasurer: Katherine Hoberg, McPherson County Clerk
NACO Board Representatives: Corey Crandall, Keith County Commissioner
General
Population: 1,824
Land area (sq. mi.): 458.16
Population per square mile: 4.1
Race
White: 91.1%
African American: 0.8%
American Indian: 0.6%
Asian: 0.5%
Hispanic: 5.8%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Age
0-17: 21.2%
18-64: 54.1%
65+: 24.7%
Socioeconomics
Personal income per capita: $67,627
% of Population in Poverty: 7.9%
# of Housing Units: 1,158
Owner-occupied rate: 75.5%
Median home price: $195,480
Technology
Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem): 30.5%
Sources: National Association of Realtors, Nebraska Library Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau
Employment, Schools, and Child Care
Unemployment rate: 2.0% (as of September 2022)
County Employment Website: https://co.gosper.ne.us/webpages/links/public_notices.html
High school graduate or higher: 94.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 29.1%
School Districts: Arapahoe Public Schools, Bertrand Public Schools, Cambridge Public Schools, Elwood Public Schools, Eustis-Farnam Public Schools, Lexington Public Schools, Southern Valley Schools
Countywide child care capacity: 6 providers; 85 children
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 (2020): $100,266,000
Ag. Producers (Cattle): 151
Ag. Producers (Crop): 139
Grain Co-ops and Purchasers: Aurora Cooperative, CHS
Local Grain Market: Click for today's grain prices in Gosper County
Electricity Providers: Dawson PPD, Southern PPD, Twin Valleys PPD
Rail-served Communities: Elwood, Smithfield
Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Power Review Board, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau
2022 Levies and Valuation
County levy rate: $0.2264 per $100 of taxable valuation
County property taxes levied: $2,056,483
Total local government property taxes levied: $11,210,345
Total countywide taxable valuation: $908,508,075
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)
Committees: Agriculture, Business and Labor, Judiciary, Nebraska Retirement Systems, Rules, Building Maintenance, Legislature's Planning Committee
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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License Plate Number: 73
Time Zone: Central
Zoned County: Yes
Number of Veterans: 150
Voter Turnout (2022): 59.82%
Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: South Central
Number of County-Owned Bridges: 49
Number of County-Owned Dams: 12
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. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)