- General Info
- Demographics
- Education and Employment
- Valuation and Taxes Levied
- State Senators
- History
- County Programs
- Other Information
Hitchcock County Seat (pop.): Trenton (516)
Cities, Towns, and Villages (pop.): Culbertson (534), Palisade (294), Stratton (310)
Courthouse Address and Hours:
229 East D Street
Trenton, Nebraska 69044
M-F 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
County Board Chairperson: Paul Nichols
Complete list of county board members
County Board Meetings: 1st & 3rd Monday
View the County's Government Maps
NACO District: West Central
District President: Cayla Richards, Red Willow Commissioner
District First Vice President: Brett Nason, McPherson County Commissioner
District Second Vice President: Corey Crandall, Keith County Commissioner
District Secretary/Treasurer: Penelope Cooper, Red Willow Deputy County Clerk
NACO Board Representatives: Earl McNutt, Red Willow County Commissioner
Click for a live look at Hitchcock County (west of Culbertson)
General
Population: 2,586
Land area (sq. mi.): 709.94
Population per square mile: 3.7
Race
White: 93.4%
African American: 0.5%
American Indian: 0.8%
Asian: 0.3%
Hispanic: 3.9%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Age
0-17: 23.3%
18-64: 51.0%
65+: 25.7%
Socioeconomics
Personal income per capita: $59,923
% of Population in Poverty: 12.0%
# of Housing Units: 1,570
Owner-occupied rate: 77.3%
Median home price: $89,650
Technology
Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem): 17.7%
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: 1.9% (as of September 2022)
County Employment Website: https://hitchcockcounty.ne.gov/webpages/links/public_notices.html
High school graduate or higher: 93.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 15.8%
School Districts: Dundy County Stratton Public Schools, Hayes Center Public Schools, Hitchcock County School System, McCook Public Schools, Wauneta-Palisade Public Schools
Countywide child care capacity: 2 providers; 24 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.
Hitchcock County Economy
Annual Gross Domestic Product (2020): $149,505,000
Ag. Producers (Cattle): 145
Ag. Producers (Crop): 94
Grain Co-ops and Purchasers: Farmers Co-op Association, FVC
Local Grain Market: Click for today's grain prices in Hitchcock County
Electricity Providers: City of Stratton, City of Trenton, McCook PPD, Southwest PPD
Rail-served Communities: Culbertson, Palisade, Stratton, Trenton
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: $0.2595 per $100 of taxable valuation
County property taxes levied: $1,964,801
Total local government property taxes levied: $10,176,707
Total countywide taxable valuation: $757,275,137
Click here for all levy rates in Hitchcock 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

Hitchcock County History
Year Founded: 1873
Number of Registered Historic Places: 4
Etymology: Phineas Hitchcock (U.S. senator)
In the late 1860s and early 1870s an influx of cattlemen began moving into the area between the Republic and Frenchman River Valleys in Southwest Nebraska. By the spring of 1873 the population had increased so dramatically in this area that settlers sent a petition to Gov. Robert B. Furnas requesting that a county be organized.
The settlers' request was honored by the governor, who on July 5, 1873, signed a proclamation ordering an election be held to select county officers and a county seat. The area would become known as Hitchcock County, named after Phineas W. Hitchcock, a United States senator from Nebraska at the time. The first county seat was located at a site just west of the present town of Culbertson. Instead of building a courthouse, county officials' offices were located in the upper story of a store.
Early development of what is today Hitchcock County can be traced back to the days of the Texas-Ogallala Cattle Trail, which cut across the area diagonally. Years later the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad would have an even greater impact.
The summer of 1874 took its toll on the county, as a drought and an infestation of grasshoppers forced many settlers to pack up and move on. Eventually the county began to recover and in the early 1880s a series of townsites sprang up. One of these was Trenton, which was established near the center of the county in 1884 by the Lincoln Land Company. Trenton, located on the Republican River, would be named the county seat in 1894 and in 1906 the first courthouse was built. This building would house the county's offices until 1969 when the present courthouse was constructed.
With its dependence on agriculture, Hitchcock County realized early on the importance of conservation, flood control and irrigation. This led to the construction of a large dam on the Republican River just west of Trenton. In 1949, state and local officials dedicated the Swanson Reservoir. Today the large lake, named in honor of Trenton conservationist and civic leader Carl Swanson, is a popular recreation area.
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License Plate Number: 67
Time Zone: Central
Zoned County: Yes
Number of Veterans: 198
Voter Turnout (2022): 57.36%
Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: Southwest
Number of County-Owned Bridges: 35
State Lands (acres): Swanson Reservoir SRA (1,300), Swanson Reservoir WMA (8,325)
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)