Kearney County

General

Population:  6,674
Land area (sq. mi.):  516.24
Population per square mile:  13.0

Race and Age

Race  2020

White:  90.7%
African American:  0.0%
American Indian:  0.2%
Asian:  0.2%
Hispanic:  5.8%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  2.9%

Age  2020

0-17:  25.2%
18-64:  54.4%
65+:  20.3%

Households

Total households:  2,727  2020
With one child:  340  2022
With 2+ children:  510  2022
With seniors (65+):  730  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $68,461  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  8.1%  2022
# of Housing Units:  2,966  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  15
Owner-occupied rate:  75.7%  2020
Median home price:  $248,160  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  79.2%  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:  1.8%  Sept. 2024

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

High school graduate or higher:  94.0%  2020

School Districts:  Axtell Public Schools, Gibbon Public Schools, Kearney Public Schools, Kenesaw Public Schools, Minden Public Schools, Silver Lake Public Schools, Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  26.4%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Western Nebraska Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  20 providers; 284 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.

Kearney County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $441,810,000  2020

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $51,124,775  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $141,512,000  2022

• 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 Kearney County business for telework that is performed partially outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $602,693,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $19,443,000  2022

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

Cattle Producers:  106

Crop Producers:  238

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $135/acre
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $296/acre

Dairy Producers:  1

Ethanol Plants (annual production capacity):  KAAPA Ethanol (80 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity): 

• Axtell: CPI (2,247,000)
• Keene: Aurora (3,904,000)
• Minden: CPI (5,463,000)
• Wilcox: CPI (2,444,000)
• (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:  25.75 main, 7.01 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Axtell, Heatwell, Minden

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

Oil Wells Producing (barrels of oil/yr):  1 well (1,535 barrels)

Electricity Providers:  City of Minden, Southern PPD, Village of Wilcox

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  2,237  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  4.33  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  36  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:  $0.2264 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $4,768,580

Total local government property taxes levied:  $28,981,735

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $2,106,353,938

Click here for all levy rates in Kearney 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: Dan Lonowski

State Senator: Steve Halloran (District 33)

Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Agriculture (chairperson)
• Business and Labor
• Government, Military and Veterans Affairs

Map and statistics for Legislative District 33

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Kearney County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 8

Year Authorized: 1860

Year Organized: 1860 

Etymology: Fort Kearny (misspelled)

     The origin of Kearney County is rooted in the construction of Fort Kearny in 1848. At that time, Nebraska was inhabited by several Native American tribes, and European settlers had only begun to move west across the Great Plains. The earliest settlers faced opposition from the Native Americans intent on defending the lands they’d roamed for centuries. In response, the U.S. Army deployed scouts to identify a suitable location for building a fort. The Platte River became an unexpected adversary. The fort was initially slated to be built near Aurora (in Hamilton County), but the commanding officer at that time, Captain Childs, feared that no safe place could be found to consistently ford the river. His men moved further west and began construction just south of the river, but Platte rose one day and destroyed the early fortifications. Undaunted, Captain Childs relocated further south to the fort’s present location. Originally called Fort Childs, the garrison was much more of a supply post than a defensive stronghold. The name was later changed to Fort Kearny, after General Stephen Kearny. A misspelling of Kearny’s name gave rise to several communities being named Kearney, including Kearney County (and the city of Kearney in nearby Buffalo County).

     Besides the Native American tribes who inhabited the area (most notably the Pawnee), the earliest residents of Kearney County were soldiers, hunters, trappers, and pioneers looking to homestead within calling distance of the nearby fort and supply station. In 1860, twelve years after the founding of Fort Kearny, the Territorial Legislature established Kearney County and its population of 474 people. In the first decade, many people departed from or simply continued through Kearney County on their way to more westward counties. The population dwindled to only 58 in 1870. But Kearney County’s central location would prove invaluable, enticing thousands of new residents over the next two decades. By 1890, the population swelled to over 9,000 residents.

     In 1876, as the county experienced an increase in population and development, the city of Minden was established and authorized to hold the county seat, an honor previously held by Lowell. Remarkably, the community had no residents or buildings, and only its central location and available land convinced residents to transfer the county seat. The transfer was not entirely uneventful. When settlers arrived in Lowell to obtain and move the county records to Minden, they were greeted with a note on the door advising that those inside had a very contagious disease and that there was no suitable place to store the records in Minden. Undeterred, settlers assumed possession of the records and relocated them to Minden.

     Kearney County is renown for several local traditions, innovations, and preservations. First, Minden is known as “Christmas City” for illuminating its courthouse with over 10,000 lights each December and hosting a Christmas pageant first performed in 1946. Second, the Kearney County Canal gave rise to the Central Nebraska Irrigation and Public Power District and eventually, Kingsley Dam (named for local banker George Kingsley). Finally, no description of Kearney County would be sufficient without mentioning Pioneer Village, one of the Midwest’s premier exhibits of pioneer life in early Nebraska.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  52

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  368  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

County Hospital:  Kearney County Health Services

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  61

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  79.68%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  4,611  2024

Number of Precincts:  9  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  8  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  51.62 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: South Central

Natural Resource District: Tri-Basin NRD

State Lands (acres): Fort Kearney SRA (186.18), Northeast Sacramento WMA (40)

Federal Lands (acres): Bluestem WPA (75.93), Clark WPA (451), Freirichs WPA (46.50), Gleason WPA (569.58), Jensen WPA (465), Killdeer Basin WPA (38.36), Lindau WPA (152.38), Prairie Dog Marsh WPA (892), Youngstown WPA (183)

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)