Valley County

General

Population:  4,066
Land area (sq. mi.):  568.11
Population per square mile:  7.1

Race and Age

Race  2020

White:  94.1%
African American:  0.4%
American Indian:  0.1%
Asian:  0.1%
Hispanic:  2.9%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.1%
Two or More Races:  2.1%

Age  2020

0-17:  23.4%
18-64:  51.8%
65+:  24.9%

Households

Total households:  1,806  2020
With one child:  160  2022
With 2+ children:  290  2022
With seniors (65+):  540  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $60,603  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  12.8%  2022
# of Housing Units:  2,104  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  2
Owner-occupied rate:  72.5%  2020
Median home price:  $161,040  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  62.3%  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://valleycountyne.gov/webpages/employment/employment.html

High school graduate or higher:  90.9%  2020

School Districts:  Arcadia Public Schools, Burwell Public Schools, Central Valley Public Schools, Loup City Public Schools, Ord Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  25.6%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Central Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  8 providers; 241 children  2020

Find child care:  For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.

Valley County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $362,075,000  2020

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $132,075,798  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $74,074,000  2021

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $200,934,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $7,603,000  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):  Green America Biofuels (65 million gallons)

Grain Elevators by Location (bushel capacity):

• Arcadia: Bossen Feeding (1,124,974), Trotter (959,110)
• North Loup: Country Partners (4,164,646)
• Ord: Cargill (5,038,000), Country Partners (1,112,539)
• (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:  27.32 main, 6.80 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  North Loup, Ord

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

Cattle Producers:  197

Crop Producers:  201

Farmers Market:  Ord Farmers Market (June - September, Fridays 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.)

Electricity Providers:  City of Ord, Custer PPD, Loup Valleys Rural 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 Valley County residents in other counties or states, but it excludes wages earned in Valley 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 Valley County for their production in other counties or states, but the figures exclude receipts reported for production in Valley County by producers operating principally in other counties or states.

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

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  875  2024

Irrigation/Livestock Wells per Square Mile:  1.54  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  74  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)

2022 Levies and Valuation

County levy rate:  $0.3500 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied:  $3,784,358

Total local government property taxes levied:  $16,517,771

Total countywide taxable valuation:  $1,081,243,724

Federal PILT payment to Valley County (FY2024):  $13,917 regarding 4,157 federally-owned acres

Click here for all levy rates in Valley 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-Elect: Daniel D. McKeon

State Senator: Tom Briese (District 41)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Education
• Revenue

Special Committees: 

• Executive Board of the Legislative Council (chairperson)
• Reference (chairperson)
• Legislative Performance Audit
• Legislature's Planning

Map and statistics for Legislative District 41

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Valley County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 7

Year Authorized: 1871

Year Organized: 1873

Etymology: Local terrain composed of many valleys

Valley County derives its name from the land conditions that exist in the area. Located between the North and Middle Loup Rivers, the terrain is mostly prime valley land which lies between the higher table lands.

The boundaries of what today is Valley County were originally created by the Legislature in 1871. Two years later the Legislature adopted an act to permit the county to organize. On March 18, 1873, the county's organizational election was held. In addition to the selection of the county's first officers, voters also selected the site of the present town of Ord to serve as the county seat. At the time it was selected, however, the county seat had no name. After it was surveyed in 1874, the site was named Ord, in honor of Gen. E.O.C. Ord, who was commander of the Army of the Platte at the time the county was organized.

The first settlers in this area are said to have been two distinct groups who had traveled from Wisconsin in 1872. The first was a small party of Danes who settled on the west side of the North Loup River near the present site of Ord. The second group of settlers consisted of a colony of Seventh-Day Baptists who homesteaded farther downstream near the present day town of North Loup. Their objective was to settle on the frontier in order that they might remain undisturbed by those who observed the first day of the week as the Sabbath.

Throughout the early years there were persistent rumors that Indian raids were about to occur in the county. Gen. Ord decided to station a company of soldiers in the northern part of the county just in case. Although there were some minor skirmishes and one that resulted in the death of one of Gen. Ord's soldiers, for the most part they were just rumors.

In 1884 the settlers of Valley County were looking forward to a large yield from their crops. That quickly changed when a wave of grasshoppers covered the state and completely destroyed every living plant in its path. Losing the crops they had counted on to survive the coming winter, many of the settlers left the area, never to return.

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Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  47

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  271  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

County Hospital:  Valley County Hospital

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  84

Number of County-Owned Dams:  2

Election Data

General Election Turnout:  78.30%  2024

Total Registered Voters:  2,976  2024

Number of Precincts:  7  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  6  2022

Land Area per Polling Place (avg.):  113.62 sq. miles

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: North Central/Sandhills

Natural Resource District: Lower Loup NRD

State Lands (acres): Scotia Canal WMA (229)

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)