- General Info
- Demographics
- Education and Employment
- Valuation and Taxes Levied
- State Senators
- History
- County Programs
- Other Information
Communities and Development
Red Willow County Seat: McCook (7,446)
Cities, Towns, and Villages (pop.): Bartley (270), Danbury (80), Lebanon (46)
Total County Population (2020): 10,702
- Cities (pop. & class): Indianola (524 • 2nd Class), McCook (7,446 • 1st Class)
- Villages (pop.): Bartley (270), Danbury (80), Lebanon (46)
- Unincorporated Pop. (% of county pop.): 2,336 (22%)
Land Development (2022) (% of total land in county):
- Agriculture: 92%
- By method: Pasture (pure grassland) (41%); Dryland (row crop/grain/forage) (39%); Irrigated (row crop/grain/forage) (12%) • Neb. Dept. of Rev. - total equals agriculture's %
- By commodity: Livestock (grassland) 42%, Corn 24%, Wheat 8%, Sorghum 7%, Soybeans 3%, Alfalfa 2% • USDA - equals agriculture's % plus some fallow land (8%) and some wetlands (2%) and minus public grassland/wetlands and reserve
- Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Conservation Reserve & Exempt (combined): 6%
- Timber: 2%
County Offices
Courthouse Address and Hours:
502 Norris Avenue
McCook, Nebraska 69001
M-F 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
County Board Chairperson: Ted Gans
Complete list of county board members
County Board Meetings: First 4 Mondays
View the County's Government Maps
NACO District: West Central
District President: Brett Nason, McPherson County Commissioner
District First Vice President: Corey Crandall, Keith County Commissioner
District Second Vice President: Ron Wertz, Hitchcock County Commissioner
District Secretary/Treasurer: Katherine Hoberg, McPherson County Clerk
NACO Board Representatives: Corey Crandall, Keith County Commissioner
Click for a live look at Red Willow County (south of McCook)
General
Population: 10,702
Land area (sq. mi.): 717.01
Population per square mile: 14.9
Race and Age
Race
White: 89.1%
African American: 1.0%
American Indian: 0.3%
Asian: 0.4%
Hispanic: 6.4%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.1%
Two or More Races: 2.5%
Age
0-17: 22.2%
18-64: 56.6%
65+: 21.2%
Socioeconomics
Personal income per capita: $53,974
% of Population in Poverty: 9.5%
# of Housing Units: 5,157
Owner-occupied rate: 71.8%
Median home price: $134,180
Technology
Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem): 33.4%
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: 1.8% (as of September 2022)
County Employment Website: https://co.red-willow.ne.us/webpages/links/public_notices.html
High school graduate or higher: 93.9%
School Districts: Cambridge Public Schools, Hitchcock County Schools System, McCook Public Schools, Southwest Public Schools
Countywide child care capacity: 23 providers; 502 children
Bachelor's degree or higher: 23.2%
Community College Service Area: Mid-Plains Community College
Find child care: For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.
Red Willow County Economy
Annual Gross Domestic Product (2020): $550,227,000
Cattle Producers: 134
- Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.): $24/acre
Crop Producers: 105
- Dryland Cash Rent (avg.): $69/acre
- Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.): $198/acre
Grain Co-ops and Purchasers: Ag Valley, DCA, FVC
Local Grain Market: Click for today's grain prices in Red Willow County
Farmers Market: Heritage Local Co. (March - December - order on weekends, then pick-up 4:40 - 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays)
Oil Wells Producing (barrels of oil/yr): 196 wells (153,227 barrels)
Electricity Providers: City of Indianola, McCook PPD, Nebraska PPD, Southwest PPD, Twin Valleys PPD, Village Bartley
Wind Turbines Operating (MW): 1 turbine (MW unknown)
Rail-served Communities: Bartley, Dunbury, Indianola, Lebanon, McCook
Well Locations (Irrigation/Livestock), Soils, Groundwater & Surface Water
Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells: 1,064
Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation): 56
Click for real time:
Streamflow data on Driftwood Creek near McCook
Streamflow data on the Republican River at McCook
Streamflow data on Red Willow Creek near Red Willow
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: $0.3078 per $100 of taxable valuation
County property taxes levied: $4,221,524
Total local government property taxes levied: $20,907,593
Total countywide taxable valuation: $1,371,667,683
Federal PILT payment to Red Willow County (FY2022): $3,734 regarding 1,271 federally-owned acres
Click here for all levy rates in Red Willow 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: Dave Murman (District 38)
Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings):
Select Committees:
- Committee on Committees
Map and statistics for Legislative District 38
Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature
Red Willow County History
Number of Registered Historic Places: 10
Year Authorized: 1873
Year Organized: 1873
Etymology: Red Willow Creek (possible mistranslation of "Red Dogwood Creek")
Red Willow County received its name from Red Willow Creek, which runs through this area of Southwest Nebraska. It has been reported, however, that the name is actually a mistranslation of the Dakota Indian name "Chanshasha Wakpala," which literally means Red Dogwood Creek. The Dakotans referred to the creek as such because of an abundance of the red dogwood shrub that grew along the creek banks.
Before this area would become a county, an exploration company was formed in Nebraska City for the express purpose of establishing a settlement somewhere in the Republican River Valley. In 1871 the party decided on an area at the mouth of the Red Willow Creek. A surveyor was hired to lay out a town patterned after Lincoln, with large, wide streets.
The county was officially organized in 1873. That same year the town of Indianola was laid out along Coon Creek. Indianola and Red Willow each wanted to secure the greatest number of settlers and become the county seat. Following an aggressive campaign, the Indianola ticket was victorious over the Red Willow ticket.
The election results were quickly contested by Red Willow supporters and the case went before a justice of the peace in neighboring Furnas County. Indianola supporters would not recognize the justice's authority and refused to appear. The justice declared the election was illegal and Red Willow immediately sought control of the county. Red Willow supporters went to Indianola and took the county records and county seal by force. Tempers eventually subsided and the records were returned to Indianola, which remained the county seat until it was moved to McCook in 1896.
The residents of McCook constructed a courthouse that was "sufficient in all respects at the time for the demands of the county." Continued growth and development in the area forced the county to raze the building in 1926 and construct the current courthouse. In 1990 an extensive remodeling project was set into motion and the building was rededicated by county officials last year.
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Communities and Development
License Plate Number: 48
Time Zone: Central
Number of Veterans: 728
Zoned County: Yes
Number of County-Owned Bridges: 42
Number of County-Owned Dams: 5
Election Data
General Election Turnout (2022): 57.50%
Total Registered Voters (2020): 7,261
Number of Precincts (2020): 13
Number of Election Day Polling Places (2020): 4
Land Area per Polling Place (avg.) (2020): 179.25 sq. miles
Intergovernmental Data
Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: Southwest
Natural Resource District: Middle Republican NRD
State Lands (acres): Burton's Bend WMA (77 Furnas, Harlan & Red Willow), McCook Rest Area (21.9), Red Willow Diversion Dam WMA (56.10), Red Willow Reservoir WMA (4,591 Frontier & Red Willow)
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)