Grant County

General

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

Race & Age

Race

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

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

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita: $59,952
% of Population in Poverty: 9.2%
# of Housing Units: 362
Owner-occupied rate: 71.9%
Median home price: $85,630

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem): 29.4%

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: 1.4% (as of September 2022)

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

High school graduate or higher: 92.8%

School District: Hyannis Area Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher: 23.0%

Community College Service Area: Western Community College

Countywide child care capacity: 1 providers; 16 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.

Grant County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (2020): $27,764,000

Cattle Producers: 52

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.): $15/acre

Crop Producers: 8

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

Rail-served Communities: Ashby, Hyannis, Whitman

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells: 572

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation): 0

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 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: $0.3036 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied: $1,001,949

Total local government property taxes levied: $3,052,212

Total countywide taxable valuation: $329,998,967

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: 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.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number: 92

Time Zone: Mountain

Number of Veterans: 36

Zoned County: Yes

County Library: Grant County Library

Election Data

General Election Turnout % (2022): 31.37%

Total Registered Voters (2020): 498

Number of Precincts (2020): 1

Number of Election Day Polling Places (2020): 1

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.) (2020): 776.99 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. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)