- General Info
- Demographics
- Education and Employment
- Valuation and Taxes Levied
- State Senators
- History
- County Programs
- Other Information
Saunders County Seat (pop.): Wahoo (4,818)
Cities, Towns, and Villages: Ashland (3,086), Cedar Bluffs (615), Ceresco (919), Colon (107), Ithaca (160), Malmo (94), Mead (617), Memphis (109), Morse Bluff (117), Prague (291), Valparaiso (595), Weston (250), Yutan (1,347)
Courthouse Address and Hours:
433 North Chestnut
Wahoo, Nebraska 68066
M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
County Board Chairperson: Dave Lutton
Complete list of county board members
County Board Meetings: First 4 Tuesdays
View the County's Government Maps
NACO District: Southeast
President: Emily Haxby, Gage County Supervisor
Vice President: Misty Ahmic, Seward County Commissioner
Secretary/Treasurer: Amber Mulberry, Saline County Clerk of the District Court
NACO Board Representative: Mark Schoenrock, Jefferson County Commissioner
General
Population: 22,787
Land area (sq. mi.): 784.93
Population per square mile: 29.7
Race
White: 94.4%
African American: 0.7%
American Indian: 0.6%
Asian: 0.5%
Hispanic: 2.7%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 0.0%
Age
0-17: 25.1%
18-64: 56.6%
65+: 18.3%
Socioeconomics
Personal income per capita: $61,840
% of Population in Poverty: 5.7%
# of Housing Units: 10,149
Owner-occupied rate: 80.0%
Median home price: $209,090
Technology
Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem): 66.7%
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://saunderscounty.ne.gov/webpages/about/employment.html
High school graduate or higher: 90.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 25.6%
School Districts: Ashland-Greenwood Public Schools, Cedar Bluffs Public Schools, David City Public Schools, East Butler Public Schools, Fremont Public Schools, Gretna Public Schools, Mead Public Schools, North Bend Central Public Schools, Raymond Central Public Schools, Schuyler Community Schools, Wahoo Public Schools, Waverly School District 145, Yutan Public Schools
Countywide child care capacity: 33 providers; 886 children
Find child care: For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.
Saunders County Economy
Annual Gross Domestic Product (2020): $780,493,000
Ag. Producers (Cattle): 240
Ag. Producers (Crop): 262
Grain Co-ops and Purchasers: Frontier
Local Grain Market: Click for today's grain prices in Saunders County
Electricity Providers: Butler PPD, City of Wahoo, Omaha PPD, Village of Prague
Rail-served Communities: Leshara, Mead, Valparaiso, Wahoo, Weston, Yutan
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: $0.2242 per $100 of taxable valuation
County property taxes levied: $10,448,186
Total local government property taxes levied: $74,611,921
Total countywide taxable valuation: $4,660,541,185
Click here for all levy rates in Saunders 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: Bruce Bostelman (District 23)
Committees: Natural Resources, Transportation and Telecommunications, Committee on Committees, Rural Broadband Task Force, Statewide Tourism And Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability (LB406)
Map and statistics for Legislative District 23
Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Saunders County History
Number of Registered Historic Places: 22
Year Authorized: 1856
Year Organized: 1867
Etymology: Alvin Saunders (Nebraska Territory governor)
Saunders County was created by the Territorial Legislature on Jan. 26, 1856 and at that time was named Calhoun County. But the name Calhoun was not popular among early settlers in the territory, as a government surveyor by that name was suspected of corruption and graft. So in 1862 the Territorial Legislature changed the county's name to Saunders, in honor of territorial Gov. Alvin Saunders.
Ashland is believed to be the first settlement in the county. For many years the area stretching north along the Platte River from Ashland to Leshara was home to the Otoe Indians, while the Pawnee Indians were camped in the bluffs in the northern part of the county.
When the first county election was held in 1866, the settlement of Ashland was chosen as the county seat. In 1870 the county's first courthouse would be built here. Ashland's status as home to this new county's government would be short-lived, however, as in 1873 voters chose a more centrally located Wahoo. Within a year a courthouse would be built in the new county seat and stand for the next 30 years. By the beginning of the 20th century the county was in need of a new home for its offices and in 1904 the present courthouse was built at a cost of $87,000.
Located on the east lawn of the courthouse today is a replica of a Mark 14 torpedo, which stands as a memorial to the U.S.S. Wahoo and its crew of 65 who perished during World War II. The submarine was credited with sinking 20 Japanese ships before it was sunk by enemy action on Oct. 11, 1943. Each October a memorial service is held at the courthouse to honor those who gave their lives in submarine warfare.
A frequently-asked question is how the county seat received its unique name. There are actually two versions that are used to provide the answer. The first is that the name originates from an Indian word for a medicinal plant known as the "burning bush," which grew along the banks of the Wahoo Creek. The second explanation is the name is from the word "pahoo," which means "not very bluffy" terrain.
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License Plate Number: 6
Time Zone: Central
Zoned County: Yes
Number of Veterans: 1,574
Voter Turnout (2022): 60.60%
Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: East Central
Number of County-Owned Bridges: 449
Number of County-Owned Dams: 5
State Lands (acres): Bramble WMA (93.10 Dodge & Saunders), Catfish Run WMA (21.18), Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (9,500), Jack Sinn Memorial WMA (1,615.72), Larkspur WMA (160), Memphis Lake SRA (130), Memphis Lake WMA (92), Two Rivers SRA (621.92 Douglas & Saunders), Two Rivers WMA (342 Douglas & Saunders)
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)