Phelps County

General

Population:  8,968
Land area (sq. mi.):  539.79
Population per square mile:  16.6

Race and Age

Race  2020

White: 90.8%
African American: 0.4%
American Indian: 0.2%
Asian: 0.3%
Hispanic: 6.1
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Two or More Races: 1.9%

Age  2020

0-17: 24.4%
18-64: 55.3%
65+: 20.2%

Households

Total households:  3,706  2020
With one child:  460  2022
With 2+ children:  620  2022
With seniors (65+):  980  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $62,347  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  9.5%  2022
# of Housing Units:  4,149  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  11
Owner-occupied rate:  72.6%  2020
Median home price:  $165,240  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  33.0%  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:  1.8%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://phelpscounty.ne.gov/default.htm

High school graduate or higher:  92.5%  2020

School Districts:  Axtell Community Schools, Bertrand Public Schools, Elm Creek Public Schools, Holdrege Public Schools, Kearney Public Schools, Loomis Public Schools, Overton Public Schools, Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  25.6%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Central Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  21 providers; 558 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.

Phelps County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $960,143,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $119,425,729  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $190,979,000  2021

Farm and Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $851,411,000  2022

Farm and Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $11,094,000  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 (bushel capacity):

• Atlanta: Scoular (771,737)
• Bertrand: CHS (2,320,000)
• Funk: CPI (6,018,000)
• Holdrege: Scoular (4,033,652), CHS (1,583,000)
• Loomis: CHS (4,397,000)
• (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:  34.41 main, 13.52 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Atlanta, Bertrand, Holdrege, Funk, Loomis

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

Cattle Producers:  111

Crop Producers:  293

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $110/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $283/acre  2024

Farmers Market:  Holdrege Area Farmers Market (May - September, Thursdays 4:30 - 7:00 p.m.)

Oil Wells Producing (barrels of oil/yr):  6 wells (34,300 barrels)

Electricity Providers:  City of Holdrege, Southern PPD, Twin Valleys 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 Phelps County residents in other counties or states, but it excludes wages earned in Phelps 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 Phelps County for their production in other counties or states, but the figures exclude receipts reported for production in Phelps County by producers operating principally in other counties or states.

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  2,242  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  4.15  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  43  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:  $0.1755 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $4,329,115

Total local government property taxes levied:  $32,456,575

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $2,456,575

Click here for all levy rates in Phelps County

County Levy and Taxation Laws

Levy limits

Since 1996, counties and other political subdivisions have been subject to levy limits under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3442 and Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3443.

Statutes and regulations

Nebraska Revised Statutes (Chapter 77)

Nebraska Administrative Code (Title 350)

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 (District 33)

State Senator: Steve Halloran (District 33)
Committees: Agriculture, Business and Labor, Government, Military and Veterans Affairs

Map and statistics for Legislative District 33

State Senator: Dave Murman (District 38)
Committees: Education, Revenue, Committee on Committees

Map and statistics for Legislative District 38

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Phelps County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 5

Year Authorized: 1873

Year Organized: 1873

Etymology: William Phelps (early Nebraska settler)

The Platte River played a significant role in the early development of Phelps County. The Oregon Trail and Pony Express route passed along the south bank of the river and brought many travelers and freight shipments through the area in the mid 1800s. Soil conditions found in this area prompted many to homestead here. One of those was Moses Sydenham, who maintained a ranch and post office he called Hopeville in what today is the northeast corner of the county.

Like other locales in this part of the territory, the area was not without conflicts between Native Americans and settlers. While these attacks forced many settlers to leave, Sydenham resisted. He took his family to an island on the Platte River, then returned to Hopeville and hoisted a Union flag to give the impression that soldiers where stationed there. Hopeville was never attacked.

Within a few years the settlers returned to the area. By 1873 the area's population prompted Gov. Robert W. Furnas to proclaim a special election to organize the county and elect officials. The county was named Phelps, after former Mississippi Riverboat Captain William Phelps, who it is said settled in the area. Williamsburg, in the northwest corner of the county, became the county seat.

In 1878 the first in a series of fights took place to relocate the county seat. Phelps Center, in the heart of the county, and Sacramento, in the southeast corner, brought the question to a vote of the people. Neither location garnered enough votes. In an election the following year, Phelps Center was victorious.

When a railroad branch line passed through the county, the "Magic City of the Plains" sprung up along the line. Named in honor of George Holdrege, the construction superintendent for the railroad, it too entered the contest to become county seat. After local businessmen took it upon themselves to build a courthouse, county voters agreed in 1884 that the county offices should be moved from Phelps Center to Holdrege.

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Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  37

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  576  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  74

Election Data

Voter Turnout:  80.96%  2024

Number of Registered Voters:  6,244  2024

Number of Precincts:  12  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  5  2022

Land Area per Polling Place:  108.09 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Tri-Basin NRD

State Lands (acres): High Basin WMA (117.90), Sacramento-Wilcox WMA (2,319.90), West Sacramento WMA (391)

Federal Lands (acres): Atlanta WPA (1,147.08), Cottonwood WPA (637), Funk WPA (1,996.40), Johnson WPA (577.44), Jones Marsh WPA (165.97), Linder WPA (160)

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)