Seward County, NE

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

17,641

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

1.06% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

7.38%

7.16% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$82,444

1.63% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$241,300

3.83% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

9,237

0.965% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Seward County, NE reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.5% of the residents in Seward County, NE are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Seward County, NE are Concordia University-Nebraska (419 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Seward County, NE was $241,300, and the homeownership rate was 72%.

Most people in Seward County, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Seward County, NE was 2 cars per household.

Seward County, NE borders Butler County, NE, Fillmore County, NE, Lancaster County, NE, Polk County, NE, Saline County, NE, and York County, NE.

United States Nebraska Lincoln, NE

Population & Diversity

Seward County, NE is home to a population of 17.6k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.25% of Seward County, NE residents were born outside of the country (220 people).

In 2024, there were 66.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (16.5k people) in Seward County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 248 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 218 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Seward County, NE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Seward County, NE was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Seward County, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Seward County, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
16.5k ± 32
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
248 ± 60
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
218 ± 89

3.02%

Hispanic Population

532 people

3.02% of the people in Seward County, NE are hispanic (532 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Seward County, NE as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Nebraska.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
46,760 ± 5,245 people
Guatemala
11,721 ± 2,650 people
El Salvador
6,922 ± 2,039 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Nebraska was Mexico, the natal country of 46,760 Nebraska residents, followed by Guatemala with 11,721 and El Salvador with 6,922.

Foreign-Born Population

1.25%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

220 people

1.08%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

191 people

As of 2024, 1.25% of Seward County, NE residents (220 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Seward County, NE was 1.08%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Seward County, NE compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
266 ± 87
Gulf War (1990s)
178 ± 64
Gulf War (2001-)
159 ± 64

Seward County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.49 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Seward County, NE.

Economy

The economy of Seward County, NE employs 9.24k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Seward County, NE were Educational Services (1,402 people), Manufacturing (1,360 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,054 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($73,750), Transportation & Warehousing ($71,438), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($71,097).

Employment

Occupations

9.24k

2024 Value

± 525

−0.965%

1 Year decline

± 8.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Seward County, NE declined at a rate of −0.965%, from 9.33k employees to 9.24k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Seward County, NE, are Management Occupations (1,122 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (999 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (904 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Seward County, NE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Nebraska (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

9.24k

2024 Value

± 525

−0.965%

1 Year decline

± 8.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Seward County, NE declined at a rate of −0.965%, from 9.33k employees to 9.24k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Seward County, NE, are Educational Services (1,402 people), Manufacturing (1,360 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,054 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Seward County, NE, though some of these residents may live in Seward County, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,194

Median earning men ± $2,392

$35,097

Median earning women ± $4,193

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,909), Public Administration ($73,750), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,434).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($81,875), Manufacturing ($61,994), and Public Administration ($57,083).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Y-Axis

2.25%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.03M people employed in Nebraska. This represents a 2.25% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.87%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Nebraska.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

55
Construction
49
Other Services (except Public Administration)
25
Finance and Insurance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$86.4k
Manufacturing
$33.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$26.6k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing the state of Nebraska. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Nebraska is currently represented by 3 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Seward County, NE. Showing the available data for Nebraska.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (59.3%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38.9%)
Democratic Party
Other (0.849%)
Other Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Nebraska went to Donald J. Trump with 59.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38.9%), followed by Other (0.849%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Nebraska for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Nebraska

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Nebraska.

Deb Fischer

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Pete Ricketts

Senator from Nebraska

Assumed office on January 12, 2023
Appointed to the seat on January 12, 2023 following the resignation of Ben Sasse.

Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts are the senators currently representing Nebraska.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Nebraska over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Seward County, NE awarded 419 degrees. The student population of Seward County, NE in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,504 male students and 1,919 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Seward County, NE are White (320 and 79.6%), Unknown (29 and 7.21%), Hispanic or Latino (19 and 4.73%), and Black or African American (18 and 4.48%).

The largest universities in Seward County, NE by number of degrees awarded are Concordia University-Nebraska (419 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Seward County, NE are General Business (59 and 14.1%), General Biological Sciences (36 and 8.59%), and Curriculum & Instruction (33 and 7.88%).

The median tuition cost in Seward County, NE for private four year colleges is $38,500.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Seward County, NE, the percentage of applicants admitted was 90%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 26.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 3,423 (43.9% men and 56.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 3,423 students enrolled in Seward County, NE, 43.9% men and 56.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,185 records, of which 57.9% were women and 42.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business
38 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
36 degrees awarded
General Psychology
25 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Seward County, NE was General Business with 38 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Seward County, NE according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Concordia University-Nebraska

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

419 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Concordia University-Nebraska with 419 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 146 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Seward County, NE, which is 0.535 times less than the 273 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 320 degrees mean that there were 11 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 29 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($38,500) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($830) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Seward County, NE was $241,300 in 2024, which is 0.725 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $232,400 to $241,300, a 3.83% increase. The homeownership rate in Seward County, NE is 72%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Seward County, NE have an average commute time of 22.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Seward County, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.47% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Seward County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.23%.

Housing

Property

$241,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,476

$4,888

Median Property Taxes

±$324

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Seward County, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Seward County, NE compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

72%

Homeownership

2024

63.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72% of the housing units in Seward County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Seward County, NE compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$82,444

Median Household Income

± $4,539

6.79k

Number of Households

± 434

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.79k households in Seward County, NE grew to $82,444 from the previous year's value of $81,122.

The following chart displays the households in Seward County, NE distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Seward County, NE is from Nebraska.

0.447

2023 Wage GINI in Nebraska

0.444

2022 Wage GINI in Nebraska

In 2023, the income inequality in Nebraska was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.606% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Nebraska was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Nebraska in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Nebraska across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79%)
Carpooled (7.68%)
Worked At Home (6.87%)

In 2024, 79% of workers in Seward County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.68%) and those who worked at home (6.87%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Seward County, NE have a shorter commute time (22.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.56% of the workforce in Seward County, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Seward County, NE compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Seward County, NE distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Seward County, NE have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.47% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Seward County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.23%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

7.38% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Seward County, NE (1.21k out of 16.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Seward County, NE is White, followed by Asian and Black.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 6.8% of the children was living in poverty in Seward County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 56.6 in Seward County, NE. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 18.2 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

93.9% of the population of Seward County, NE has health coverage, with 56.8% on employee plans, 7.59% on Medicaid, 13.9% on Medicare, 14.2% on non-group plans, and 1.44% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Seward County, NE see 1,600 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,600 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2212 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 631 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.2% were men and 48.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,600 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Seward County, NE

Primary care physicians in Seward County, NE see an average of 1,600 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,600 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Seward County, NE in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.4% under 18 years, 20.7% between 18 and 34 years, 35.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.2% were men and 48.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.08%

Uninsured

56.8%

Employer Coverage

7.59%

Medicaid

13.9%

Medicare

14.2%

Non-Group

1.44%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Seward County, NE grew by 21.6% from 5% to 6.08%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Seward County, NE changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 65.8 in Seward County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Seward County, NE.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.7% in Seward County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Seward County, NE.