Kearney County, Nebraska

Not to be confused with Kearney, Nebraska.

Kearney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 6,688.^[1] Its county seat is Minden.^[2] The county was formed in 1860. It was named for Fort Kearny, which in turn was named for Brigade General Stephen W. Kearny.

Kearney County
County
Kearney County Courthouse in Minden
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°31′N 98°57′W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1860
Named after	Fort Kearny
Seat	Minden
Largest city	Minden
Area
• Total	516 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• Land	516 sq mi (1,340 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.02%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,688
• Density	13/sq mi (5.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.kearneycounty.ne.gov

Kearney County is part of the Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Kearney County is represented by the prefix 52 (it had the 52nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

The terrain of Kearney County consists of gently rolling low hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. The Platte River flows eastward along the north county boundary. The county has a total area of 516 square miles (1,340 km²), of which 516 square miles (1,340 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[3]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 6
• U.S. Highway 34
• Nebraska Highway 10
• Nebraska Highway 44
• Nebraska Highway 74

Adjacent counties

• Buffalo County - north
• Adams County - east
• Webster County - southeast
• Franklin County - south
• Harlan County - southwest
• Phelps County - west

Protected areas

• Clark Federal Waterfowl Production Area^[4]
• Fort Kearny State Historical Park^[5]
• Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (partial)^[6]
• Jensen Lagoon National Wildlife Management Area^[7]
• Prairie Dog Federal Waterfowl Production Area^[8]
• Youngson Lagoon Natural Wildlife Production Area^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	474		—
1870	58		−87.8%
1880	4,072		6,920.7%
1890	9,061		122.5%
1900	9,866		8.9%
1910	9,106		−7.7%
1920	8,583		−5.7%
1930	8,094		−5.7%
1940	6,854		−15.3%
1950	6,409		−6.5%
1960	6,580		2.7%
1970	6,707		1.9%
1980	7,053		5.2%
1990	6,629		−6.0%
2000	6,882		3.8%
2010	6,489		−5.7%
2020	6,688		3.1%
US Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010[14]

As of the 2000 United States Census^[15] there were 6,882 people, 2,643 households, and 1,902 families in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5.0 people/km²). There were 2,846 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.82% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 2.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,643 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.90% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

The county population contained 80% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,247, and the median income for a family was $44,877. Males had a median income of $29,987 versus $20,081 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,118. About 5.50% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Minden (county seat)

Villages

• Axtell
• Heartwell
• Norman
• Wilcox

Unincorporated communities

• Keene
• Lowell
• Newark

Ghost town

• Dobytown

Townships

• Blaine
• Cosmo
• Eaton
• Grant
• Hayes
• Liberty
• Lincoln
• Logan
• Lowell
• May
• Mirage
• Newark
• Oneida
• Sherman

Notable people

• Carl Curtis, Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate^[16]

Politics

Kearney County voters are strongly Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

United States presidential election results for Kearney County, Nebraska^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,828	78.23%	736	20.36%	51	1.41%
2020	2,822	78.02%	701	19.38%	94	2.60%
2016	2,531	76.79%	550	16.69%	215	6.52%
2012	2,349	73.87%	773	24.31%	58	1.82%
2008	2,224	70.60%	876	27.81%	50	1.59%
2004	2,621	77.57%	707	20.92%	51	1.51%
2000	2,333	74.73%	680	21.78%	109	3.49%
1996	1,953	64.07%	782	25.66%	313	10.27%
1992	1,756	53.72%	645	19.73%	868	26.55%
1988	2,121	65.99%	1,056	32.86%	37	1.15%
1984	2,508	76.89%	726	22.26%	28	0.86%
1980	2,512	71.16%	726	20.57%	292	8.27%
1976	1,830	58.58%	1,219	39.02%	75	2.40%
1972	2,203	74.38%	759	25.62%	0	0.00%
1968	1,806	64.00%	825	29.23%	191	6.77%
1964	1,352	43.35%	1,767	56.65%	0	0.00%
1960	2,065	62.05%	1,263	37.95%	0	0.00%
1956	2,158	64.80%	1,172	35.20%	0	0.00%
1952	2,422	72.26%	930	27.74%	0	0.00%
1948	1,440	50.70%	1,400	49.30%	0	0.00%
1944	1,782	58.45%	1,267	41.55%	0	0.00%
1940	1,792	53.44%	1,561	46.56%	0	0.00%
1936	1,214	32.71%	2,445	65.89%	52	1.40%
1932	1,129	31.63%	2,367	66.32%	73	2.05%
1928	2,426	68.28%	1,093	30.76%	34	0.96%
1924	1,453	45.04%	1,243	38.53%	530	16.43%
1920	1,683	55.31%	1,273	41.83%	87	2.86%
1916	760	34.20%	1,396	62.83%	66	2.97%
1912	336	16.15%	1,012	48.65%	732	35.19%
1908	993	42.88%	1,174	50.69%	149	6.43%
1904	1,235	57.98%	396	18.59%	499	23.43%
1900	1,055	47.20%	1,109	49.62%	71	3.18%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Kearney County, Nebraska