Greeley County

General

Population:  2,188
Land area (sq. mi.):  569.81
Population per square mile:  3.8

Race and Age

Race  2020

White: 95.9%
African American: 0.0%
American Indian: 0.1%
Asian: 0.3%
Hispanic: 2.4%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.8%

Age  2020

0-17: 23.0%
18-64: 51.3%
65+: 25.8%

Households

Total households:  948  2020
With one child:  100  2022
With 2+ children:  170  2022
With seniors (65+):  330  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $62,337  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  10.9%  2022
# of Housing Units:  1,189  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  7
Owner-occupied rate:  82.1%  2020
Median home price:  $105,840  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  42.4%  2021

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:  1.7%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://greeleycounty.ne.gov/webpages/links/public_notices.html

High school graduate or higher:  90.9%  2020

School Districts:  Central Valley Public Schools, Ord Public Schools, Riverside Public Schools, St. Paul Public Schools, Wheeler Central Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  25.6%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Central Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  7 providers; 78 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.

Greeley County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $139,233,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $28,735,969  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $37,378,000  2021

Farm and Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $201,206,000  2022

Farm and Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $8,020,000  2022

• For components of nonfarm small business receipts, nonfarm wage income, and farm & ranch commodity sales and operations receipts, see "Notes" below.

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Greeley Center: Country Partners (393,817)
• Midway: Country Partners (2,357,584)
• Spalding: Country Partners (1,314,847)
• (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:  25.02 main, 1.52 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Scotia

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

Cattle Producers:  225

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $47/acre/yr  2024

Crop Producers:  205

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $137/acre/yr  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $275/acre/yr  2024

Electricity Providers:  Cornhusker PPD, Howard Greeley Rural PPD, Loup Valleys Rural PPD, Village of Spalding

Notes

• Nonfarm small business receipts are reported by partnerships and sole proprietorships. They do not include receipts reported by cooperative associations.
• Nonfarm wage income is reported based upon the wage earner's residential address; therefore, it also includes wages earned by Greeley County residents in other counties or states, but it excludes wages earned in Greeley County by residents of other counties or states.
• Nonfarm wage income excludes wages earned by anyone claimed as a dependent.
• Farm and ranch commodity sales receipts and operations receipts are reported based upon the farm or ranch owner's principal county of operations; therefore, those figures also include receipts reported by producers operating principally in Greeley County for their production in other counties or states, but the figures exclude receipts reported for production in Greeley County by producers operating principally in other counties or states.

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  1,205  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  2.11  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  51  2024

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:  $0.2160 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $2,283,439

Total local government property taxes levied:  $12,593,902

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $1,057,268,842

Federal PILT payment to Greeley County (FY2024):  $4,081 regarding 1,219 federally-owned acres

Click here for all levy rates in Greeley 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: Daniel D. McKeon (District 41)

Committees

• Agriculture
• Business and Labor
• Government, Military and Veterans Affairs
• Building Maintenance

Map and statistics for Legislative District 41

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Greeley County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 6

Year Authorized: 1871

Year Organized: 1872

Etymology: Horace Greeley (journalist)

     “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.” Those were the words credited to Horace Greeley, noted American newspaper editor. In 1871, a large number of settlers had ventured westward to central Nebraska, culminating in the formation of Greeley County, nestled between the Cedar River to the northeast and the North Loup River to the southwest.

     Several groups of settlers helped propel Greeley County’s development during its early years, but the Irish Catholic Colonization Association left an indelible imprint on the county. The group purchased tends of thousands of acres in the county with the purpose of relocating Irish immigrants who had come to the United States following the Irish Potato Famine in the mid-nineteenth century. Several towns in Greeley have distinctly Irish roots, including Spalding, Belfast, and O’Connor.

     Despite the burgeoning Irish influence and population, the town of Scotia (Latin for Scotland) became the original county seat. Situated near the North Loup River in the southwest corner of the county, the settlement achieved sufficient population to wrest the county seat from Lamartine in 1874. A modest courthouse was built the following year. 

     However, a new settlement with its eyes on the county seat was already emerging. In 1885, the centrally located Greeley Center welcomed the railroad and the associated benefits of becoming a railway junction town. Although Greeley Center had not yet obtained the county seat, the town preemptively built a courthouse, which also featured a jail. Five years and multiple elections later, the town finally claimed the county seat from Scotia. Shortly thereafter, officials decided to drop the “Center” from the town name, and thus, the county seat would be forever called Greeley.

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Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  62

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  186  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  62

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  79.76%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  1,576  2024

Number of Precincts:  4  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  4  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  142.66 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Lower Loup NRD

State Lands (acres): Davis Creek WMA (2,450 Greeley & Valley)

Federal Lands (acres): Davis Creek Reservoir (332 Greeley & Valley)

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)