Saunders County

General

Population:  22,278
Land area (sq. mi.):  784.93
Population per square mile:  29.7

Race and Age

Race  2020

White:  92.9%
African American:  0.3%
American Indian:  0.3%
Asian:  0.4%
Hispanic:  2.6%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Two or More Races:  3.0%

Age  2020

0-17:  25.1%
18-64:  56.6%
65+:  18.3%

Households

Total households:  8,667  2020
With one child:  960  2022
With 2+ children:  1,600  2022
With seniors (65+):  2,310  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $65,145  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  7.4%  2022
# of Housing Units:  9,987  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  122
Owner-occupied rate:  79.6%  2020
Median home price:  $250,280  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  66.7%  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://saunderscounty.ne.gov/webpages/about/employment.html

High school graduate or higher:  90.9%  2020

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

Bachelor's degree or higher:  25.6%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Southeast Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  36 providers; 1,221 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.

Saunders County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $780,493,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $196,404,697  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $629,549,000  2021

Farm and Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $514,932,000  2022

Farm and Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $18,511,000  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):  Chief Ethanol Fuels (55 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity): 

• Ceresco: Frontier (3,276,953)
• Colon: Colon Elevator (496,636)
• Mead: Frontier (6,770,343)
• Prague: Frontier (990,403)
• Wahoo: Elkhorn Valley (791,000), Frontier (758,737)
• Weston: Frontier (665,409)
• 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:  44.94 main, 8.18 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Leshara, Mead, Valparaiso, Wahoo, Weston, Yutan

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

Cattle Producers:  240

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $53/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  262

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $224/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $309/acre  2024

Dairy Producers:  1

Farmers Markets:

• Downtown Fremont Market (Mid-July - End of September, Thursdays)
• Valparaiso Farmers Market (June - October, Saturdays 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.)
• Wahoo Farmers Market (June - October, Saturdays 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

Electricity Providers: Butler PPD, City of Wahoo, Omaha PPD, Village of Prague

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

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  1,147  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  1.53  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  128  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Platte River near Venice

Streamflow data on North Oak Creek near Touhy

Streamflow data on North Oak Creek at Valparaiso

Streamflow data on Wahoo Creek at Ithaca

Streamflow data on Wahoo Creek at Ashland

Streamflow data on Salt Creek near Ashland

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:  $0.2261 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $11,526,863

Total local government property taxes levied:  $77,023,872

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $5,099,008,093

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)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Natural Resources (chairperson)
• Transportation and Telecommunications

Select Committees:

• Committee on Committees

Special Committees: 

• Statewide Tourism and Recreation Water Access and Resource Sustainability

Other Committees:

• Rural Broadband Task Force (selected by the Executive Board of the Legislative Council)

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.

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

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  6

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  1,380  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  449

Number of County-Owned Dams:  5

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  82.59%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  16,705  2024

Number of Precincts:  19  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  19  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  44.05 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

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

Natural Resource Districts: Lower Platte North NRD, Lower Platte South NRD

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. Election Assistance Commission, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)