Lincoln County

General

Population:  34,676
Land area (sq. mi.):  2,564.14
Population per square mile:  13.5

Race and Age

Race  2020

White:  85.5%
African American:  1.1%
American Indian:  0.4%
Asian:  0.9%
Hispanic:  8.7%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  3.0%

Age  2020

0-17:  23.5%
18-64:  55.9%
65+:  20.6%

Households

Total households:  14,683  2020
With one child:  1,920  2022
With 2+ children:  2,350  2022
With seniors (65+):  3,560  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $64,765  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  11.9%  2022
# of Housing Units:  16,526  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  166
Owner-occupied rate:  68.0%  2020
Median home price:  $214,850  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  85.0%  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:  2.1%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://lincolncountyne.gov/employment-opportunities/

High school graduate or higher:  90.9%  2020

School Districts:  Maxwell Public Schools, Maywood Public Schools, McPherson County Schools, Medicine Valley Public Schools, North Platte Public Schools, Paxton Consolidated Public Schools, Perkins County Schools, Stapleton Public Schools, Wallace Public School District 65 R

Bachelor's degree or higher:  25.6%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Mid-Plains Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  31 providers; 1,158 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.

Lincoln County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $2,954,070,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $493,657,380  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $722,962,000  2021

Farm and Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $1,011,952,000  2022

Farm and Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $26,848,000  2022

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

Ethanol Plants (annual production capacity):  Midwest Renewable Energy (28 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity): 

• Hershey: Scoular (1,702,348)
• North Platte: Ag Valley (3,229,008)
• Sutherland: Clatterbuck Elevator (2,611,000)
• Wallace: Scoular (1,231,000)
• (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:  242.02 main, 308.46 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Brady, Dickens, Hershey, Maxwell, North Platte, Wellfleet

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

Cattle Producers:  506

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $25/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  387

• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $240/acre  2024

Farmers Market:  The Original Farmers Market of North Platte (July - September, Tuesdays, 3 - 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

Electricity Providers:  City of North Platte, Custer PPD, Dawson PPD, McCook PPD, Midwest Electric Member Corp., Nebraska PPD

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 Lincoln County residents in other counties or states, but it excludes wages earned in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County for their production in other counties or states, but the figures exclude receipts reported for production in Lincoln County by producers operating principally in other counties or states.

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  3,482  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  1.36  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  134  2024

Click for real time:

Groundwater level data near NE Hwy 97 along northern county line (17.5 mi. north of North Platte)

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: $0.2868 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied: $16,554,879

Total local government property taxes levied: $92,414,441

Total countywide taxable valuation: $5,772,734,551

Click here for all levy rates in Lincoln 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: Mike Jacobson (District 42)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Banking, Commerce and Insurance (vice chairperson)
• Natural Resources

Select Committees:

• Committee on Committees

Special Committees: 

• Legislative Performance Audit
• Statewide Tourism and Recreation Water Access and Resource Sustainability

Map and statistics for Legislative District 42

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Lincoln County History

Number of Registered Historic Places:11

Year Authorized: 1866

Year Organized: 1866

Etymology: Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. president)

     Only about one-fourth of the original Lincoln County still exists in its present-day boundaries. In 1860, the Legislature established Shorter County, whose territory ranged from the Kansas border up to just south of North Platte. In 1866, the Legislature formally organized and renamed the county to Lincoln County, after the recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. In 1871, the Legislature drastically re-drew the county’s borders to its present-day boundaries; only the northwest portion of the county’s previous iteration was included into the familiar west-central square we know today.

     Although numerous travelers passed through and homesteaded the territory that would become Lincoln County, the land was originally inhabited by several Native Americans tribes. In fact, it was the ongoing conflict between the Cheyenne and Sioux tribes that drew the attention of the U.S. Army, who deployed troops throughout the Platte River valley to deter tribal skirmishes and protect settlers. Fort McPherson, built strategically near the confluence of the North and South Platte rivers, was the launching point for several military campaigns during the Indian Wars. After the U.S. Army displaced the tribes and consigned them to reservations, the soldiers abandoned the post. However, the fort’s presence helped support a nearby community that would eventually become the county seat: North Platte.

     The railroad is an important historical influence in many Nebraska counties, but nowhere more so than in Lincoln County. Bailey Yard, the world’s largest railroad classification yard, covers over 2,800 acres in north-central Lincoln County and includes more than 200 separate tracks and 985 switches. An estimated 14,000 railroads cars pass through Bailey Yard every day.

     Today, Lincoln County retains its proud agriculture heritage. It is only one of three Nebraska counties with at least 500 cattle producers and 300 crop producers.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  15

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  2,509  2023  

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  74

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  70.76%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  23,678  2024

Number of Precincts:  24  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  21  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  128.21 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Middle Republican NRD, Twin Platte NRD

State Lands (acres): Birdwood Lake WMA (33), Box Elder Canyon WMA (11), Brady Rest Area EB (10.9), Brady Rest Area WB (55.9), Buffalo Bill Ranch SRA (233), Cedar Valley WMA (880), Chester Island WMA (93.86), East Sutherland WMA (34.73), Hansen Memorial Reserve WMA (80), Hershey WMA (133.18), East Hershey WMA (39.84), Fremont Slough WMA (41.04), Jeffrey Lake WMA (4.60), Maloney Reservoir SRA (62.30), Muskrat Run WMA (223), North River WMA (681.13), Pawnee Slough WMA (70), Pawnee Lake SRA (1,268.35), Pawnee Lake WMA (669.15), Platte WMA (241.64), Sutherland Rest Area EB (16.2), Sutherland Rest Area WB (11.4), Wapiti WMA (1,920), Wellfleet WMA (62.57), West Brady WMA (15.38), West Gothenburg WMA (51.17), West Central Research, Extension and Education Center (1,848), West Hershey WMA (21.74), West Maxwell WMA (22.71), West Sutherland Reservoir SRA (105)

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)