Howard County, NE

County

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2023 Population

6,492

0.247% 1-year growth

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

42.3

0.704% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

5.44%

11.7% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$74,508

5.29% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$205,200

13% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

3,212

0.406% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Howard County, NE had a population of 6.49k people with a median age of 42.3 and a median household income of $74,508. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Howard County, NE grew from 6,476 to 6,492, a 0.247% increase and its median household income grew from $70,766 to $74,508, a 5.29% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Howard County, NE are White (Non-Hispanic) (91.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.7%), White (Hispanic) (1.65%), Other (Hispanic) (1.05%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (0.508%).

None of the households in Howard 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.

98.6% of the residents in Howard County, NE are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Howard County, NE was $205,200, and the homeownership rate was 74.1%.

Most people in Howard County, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 28.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Howard County, NE was 2 cars per household.

Howard County, NE borders Buffalo County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Merrick County, NE, Nance County, NE, and Sherman County, NE.

United States Nebraska Grand Island, NE

Population & Diversity

Howard County, NE is home to a population of 6.49k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.71% of Howard County, NE residents were born outside of the country (111 people).

In 2023, there were 19.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.96k people) in Howard County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 305 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 107 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

98.7%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.6% of Howard County, NE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Howard County, NE was 98.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Howard County, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.96k ± 182
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
305 ± 185
White (Hispanic)
107 ± 42

2.99%

Hispanic Population

194 people

2.99% of the people in Howard County, NE are hispanic (194 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Howard 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
46,527 ± 5,232 people
Guatemala
10,472 ± 2,506 people
India
6,505 ± 1,977 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Nebraska was Mexico, the natal country of 46,527 Nebraska residents, followed by Guatemala with 10,472 and India with 6,505.

Foreign-Born Population

1.71%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

111 people

1.84%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

119 people

As of 2023, 1.71% of Howard County, NE residents (111 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Howard County, NE was 1.84%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
215 ± 55
Gulf War (1990s)
41 ± 27
Gulf War (2001-)
38 ± 24

Howard County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 5.24 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Howard County, NE employs 3.21k people. The largest industries in Howard County, NE are Health Care & Social Assistance (494 people), Retail Trade (416 people), and Manufacturing (320 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($93,207), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,946), and Public Administration ($69,844).

Males in Nebraska have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $55,834. The income inequality in Nebraska (measured using the Gini index) is 0.444, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

3.21k

2023 Value

± 258

0.406%

1 Year growth

± 11%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Howard County, NE grew at a rate of 0.406%, from 3.2k employees to 3.21k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Howard County, NE, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (459 people), Management Occupations (404 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (286 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Howard County, NE.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

3.21k

2023 Value

± 258

0.406%

1 Year growth

± 11%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Howard County, NE grew at a rate of 0.406%, from 3.2k employees to 3.21k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Howard County, NE, are Health Care & Social Assistance (494 people), Retail Trade (416 people), and Manufacturing (320 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Howard County, NE, though some of these residents may live in Howard County, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,278

Median earning men ± $1,338

$36,457

Median earning women ± $1,300

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($91,250), Public Administration ($81,731), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,286).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($68,214), Manufacturing ($62,625), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($51,500).

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

24
Construction
15
Other Services (except Public Administration)
14
Transportation and Warehousing

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

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$15.3k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$5.83k
Retail Trade
$4.31k
Wholesale Trade

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

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Howard County, NE went to Donald J. Trump with 79.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (18.5%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (1.91%).

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

2020 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (79.6%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (18.5%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (1.91%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Howard County, NE for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

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.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Nebraska

Nebraska is currently represented by 3 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Nebraska have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 1.09% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.952% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (381k), Some college (364k), and Bachelors Degree (309k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Howard County, NE was $205,200 in 2023, which is 0.676 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $181,600 to $205,200, a 13% increase. The homeownership rate in Howard County, NE is 74.1%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Howard County, NE have an average commute time of 28.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Howard County, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2023, 10.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Howard County, NE. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 0.754%.

Housing

Property

$205,200

Median Property Value 2023

±$15,784

$1,847

Median Property Taxes

±$161

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 Howard County, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

74.1%

Homeownership

2023

66.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 74.1% of the housing units in Howard County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 75.7%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9705
Census Tract 9706

The following map shows all of the tracts in Howard County, NE colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$74,508

Median Household Income

± $6,586

2.49k

Number of Households

± 230

In 2023, the median household income of the 2.49k households in Howard County, NE grew to $74,508 from the previous year's value of $70,766.

The following chart displays the households in Howard 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 Howard County, NE is from Nebraska.

0.444

2022 Wage GINI in Nebraska

0.444

2021 Wage GINI in Nebraska

In 2022, the income inequality in Nebraska was 0.444 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0995% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Nebraska was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (81.5%)
Worked At Home (7.81%)
Carpooled (6.74%)

In 2023, 81.5% of workers in Howard County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.81%) and those who carpooled to work (6.74%).

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

28.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Howard County, NE have a longer commute time (28.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 4.71% of the workforce in Howard County, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Howard 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 Howard County, NE distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Howard County, NE have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 10.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Howard County, NE. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 0.754%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

5.44% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Howard County, NE (348 out of 6.39k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 55 - 64, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 65 - 74.

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

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 2023, 11% of the children was living in poverty in Howard County, NE. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 3.8%.

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.

Health

93% of the population of Howard County, NE has health coverage, with 54% on employee plans, 7.22% on Medicaid, 15.9% on Medicare, 14.3% on non-group plans, and 1.6% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Howard County, NE see 1622 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.683% increase from the previous year (1611 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3266 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2177 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,622 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Howard County, NE

Primary care physicians in Howard County, NE see an average of 1,622 patients per year. This represents a 0.683% increase from the previous year (1,611 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27% under 18 years, 15% between 18 and 34 years, 36.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.4% were men and 50.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.97%

Uninsured

54%

Employer Coverage

7.22%

Medicaid

15.9%

Medicare

14.3%

Non-Group

1.6%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Howard County, NE declined by 2.75% from 7.17% to 6.97%.

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