Holt County

General

Population: 10,127
Land area (sq. mi.): 2,412.40
Population per square mile: 4.2

Race and Age

Race  2020

White: 92.1%
African American: 0.4%
American Indian: 0.4%
Asian: 0.5%
Hispanic: 5.1%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Two or More Races: 1.4%

Age  2020

0-17: 25.9%
18-64: 51.1%
65+: 22.6%

Households

Total households:  4,257  2020
With one child:  380  2022
With 2+ children:  720  2022
With seniors (65+):  1,250  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $63,189  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  12.8%  2022
# of Housing Units:  4,893  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  10
Owner-occupied rate:  72.1%  2020
Median home price:  $185,120  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  16.8%  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:  1.5%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://nebraskacounties.org/nebraska-counties/county-employment-opportunities.html

High school graduate or higher:  90.9%  2020

School Districts:  Boyd County Schools, Burwell Public Schools, Chambers Public Schools, O-Neill Public Schools, Stuart Public Schools, Summerland Public Schools, Verdigre Public Schools, Wheeler Central Schools, West Hold Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  25.6%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Northeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  31 providers; 494 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.

Holt County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $829,372,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $276,036,751  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 Holt County business for telework that is performed partially outside of Nebraska.

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $178,964,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $648,430,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $26,741,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  658

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $39/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  398

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $73/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $245/acre  2024

Dairy Producers:  1

Ethanol Plants (annual production capacity):  Sandhills Renewable Energy (53 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Atkinson: J. E. Meuret (2,783,405)
• O'Neill: Cargill (5,228,000), Dowd (1,595,000)
• (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:  19.58 main, 1.41 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  O'Neill, Page

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

Electricity Providers:  City of Stuart, Elkhorn Rural PPD, Nebraska PPD, Niobrara Valley Electric Member Corp., North Central PPD

Wind Turbines Operating (MW):  200 turbines (400,000 MW total)

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  4,705  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  1.95  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  264  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Elkhorn River at Ewing

Groundwater level data near 500th Ave. & 876th Rd. (8 mi. northeast of O'Neill)

Groundwater level data near Fort Rd. & Davis Rd. (9 mi. southwest of Amelia) • Eastern well in row of 3

Groundwater level data near Fort Rd. & Davis Rd. (9 mi. southwest of Amelia) • Middle well in row of 3

Groundwater level data near Fort Rd. & Davis Rd. (9 mi. southwest of Amelia) • Western well in row of 3

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:  $0.3549 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $10,925,114

Total local government property taxes levied:  $43,153,277

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $3,078,433,798

Federal PILT payment to Holt County (FY2022): $997 regarding 298 federally-owned acres

Click here for all levy rates in Holt 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: Barry DeKay (District 40)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Judiciary
• Transportation and Telecommunications
• Government, Military and Veterans Affairs

Special Committees: 

• State-Tribal Relations (vice-chairperson)
• Justice Reinvestment Oversight
• Statewide Tourism and Recreation Water Access and Resource Sustainability

Map and statistics for Legislative District 40

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Holt County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 10

Year Authorized: 1862

Year Organized: 1876

Etymology: Joseph Holt (U.S. Postmaster General and Secretary of War)

     Holt County owes its success not to the “luck of the Irish,” but rather, the resolve, persistence, and resourcefulness of early Irish settlers. Although many different ethnicities inhabited and helped develop Holt County over its rich history, Irish immigrants played a prominent role as European settlers moved westward.

     Originally home to several Native American tribes, including the Sioux and Pawnee, the area’s first European explorers were likely French-Canadian hunters and trappers who traded with various Native American tribes along the Niobrara and Elkhorn rivers in the mid-1600’s. Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, settlers from the eastern United States began to trickle westward into the Great Plains.

     Holt County was authorized for organization in 1862, but it would take another 14 years before it was officially organized. In 1864, John O’Neill (perhaps best known for attacking Canada on several occasions in the 1870’s as part of the Fenian Brotherhood) led a group of Irish immigrants from the eastern U.S. into northeast Nebraska. Finding Holt County suitable for settlement, O’Neill guided additional groups of Irish immigrants into the county for the next several years, and the county seat of O'Neill bears his legacy.

     With its budding population and settlements, Holt County petitioned for official organization in 1873, but the county lacked the required 200 residents. In 1876, the county easily cleared that population threshold and a governor’s proclamation official organized Holt County. The population rose to over 3,000 residents in 1880 and spiked to over 13,000 residents in 1890.

     Initially, Twin Lakes was designated the Holt County seat, but residents challenged the validity of the election. During the subsequent election, Paddock was selected to be the county seat, only to fall out of favor three years later, due mainly to its extreme northern location. O’Neill, much more centrally located, was chosen by voters, though a courthouse would not grace the city until 1885. By that time, O’Neill was growing rapidly and would eclipse 1,200 residents in less than a decade. Its geographic location and rapid growth allowed the city to fend off several subsequent challenges to move the county seat.

     Today, Holt County retains a rich mix of agriculture. Ranchers inhabit the western part of the county while farmers cultivate the eastern part. Nebraska’s top five commodities are cattle, corn, soybeans, hogs, and dairy—all of which Holt County proudly produces.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  36

Time Zone:  Central

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of Veterans:  594  2023

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  182

Number of County-Owned Dams:  1

Election Data

Voter Turnout:  77.56%  2024

Number of Registered Voters:  7,063  2024

Number of Precincts:  13  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  9  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  268.61 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Lower Niobrara NRD, Upper Elkhorn NRD

State Lands (acres): Dry Creek WMA (293), Goose Lake WMA (384.90), O. John Emerson WMA (160), Redbird WMA (433.04), Spencer Dam WMA (9)

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)