Grant County

General

Population:  611
Land area (sq. mi.):  776.99
Population per square mile:  0.8

Race & Age

Race  2020

White:  94.3%
African American:  0.8%
American Indian:  2.0%
Asian:  0.2%
Hispanic:  2.0%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  0.7%

Age  2020

0-17:  24.4%
18-64:  49.6%
65+:  26.1%

Households

Total households:  263  2020
With one child:  20  2022
With 2+ children:  60  2022
With seniors (65+):  100  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $48,679  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  10.8%  2022
# of Housing Units:  362  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  6
Owner-occupied rate:  71.9%  2020
Median home price:  $129,790  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  29.4%  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:  1.6%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  http://grant.mipsweb.info/webpages/links/public_notices.html

High school graduate or higher:  92.8%  2020

School District:  Hyannis Area Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  23.0%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Western Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  1 providers; 16 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.

Grant County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $27,413,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $5,473,587  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 Grant County business for telework that is performed partially outside of Nebraska.

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $10,570,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $39,816,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $1,085,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  52

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $16/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  8

Railroad Miles:  54.05 main, 2.51 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Ashby, Hyannis, Whitman

Grain Co-ops and Purchasers:  Panhandle Coop System, WESTCO

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

Electricity Providers:  Custer PPD, PREMA

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  596  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  0.77  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  0  2024

Click for real time:

Groundwater level data near S. Whitman Rd. & Angus Ln. (11.5 mi. southeast of Hyannis)

Groundwater level data near UNL Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory (15.5 mi. northeast of Hyannis)

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:  $0.2718 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $1,001,883

Total local government property taxes levied:  $3,000,522

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $368,674,440

Click here for all levy rates in Grant 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)

• Appropriations

Select Committees:

• Rules (chairperson)
• Committee on Committees

Map and statistics for Legislative District 47

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Grant County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 2

Year Authorized: 1887

Year Organized: 1887

Etymology: Ulysses Grant (18th U.S. president)

     Grant County is not for the faint of heart, but only for the resilient, rugged, and supremely independent. Deep in the heart of the Sandhills, Grant County was once home to the cowboys who drove the famous Texas longhorns through the region. With its gentle hills, abundant grass, and scattering of lakes amidst vast unsettled territory, the Sandhills was the perfect territory for fattening cattle. But with untamed land and plentiful cattle came outlaws and cattle rustlers. In 1887, Governor Thayer appointed a territorial sheriff, R. M. Moran, to apprehend fugitives and break up the numerous outlaw gangs. Moran spent the next two decades helping bring law and order the area.

     1887 was also the year that the Nebraska Legislature authorized the creation of Grant County. Initially, Whitman was selected as the county seat due to its position on the railroad. However, as the railroad progressed westward, Hyannis became a more centrally located station, and its residents felt the county seat should be moved. An election was held to decide the matter, and Hyannis emerged as the victor. Whitman would not quietly abdicate the county seat—when a delegation from Hyannis arrived to assume the county records books, Whitman residents refused to surrender the records. Some members of the Hyannis delegation seized the records by force, and the delegation departed, leaving behind a bitterness that marred the relationship between the two towns for years.

     In 1904, the Kinkaid Act and its promise of 640 acres (considerably more than the 160 acres allowed by the Homestead Act of 1862) helped bring hundreds of new settlers to Grant County. But early farming attempts failed due a lack of moisture and sandy soil. Many settlers turned to ranching, an industry which thrived to support over a half-million cattle in the early 20th century. Today, ranching remains the predominant agricultural industry in Grant County.

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Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  92

Time Zone:  Mountain

Number of Veterans:  22  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

County Library:  Grant County Library

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  82.59%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  448  2024

Number of Precincts:  1  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  1  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  783.36 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: North Central/Sandhills

Natural Resource District: Upper Loup NRD

State Lands (acres): Avocet WMA (188.20), De Fair Lake WMA (125.20), Frye Lake WMA (345.53), UNL Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory (12,800)

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)