Kearney County, NE

County

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2024 Population

6,713

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.2

0.248% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

7.21%

7.71% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,631

0.677% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$223,400

2.34% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,589

0.306% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Kearney 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.

99.6% of the residents in Kearney County, NE are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Kearney County, NE was $223,400, and the homeownership rate was 77.5%.

Most people in Kearney County, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Kearney County, NE was 2 cars per household.

Kearney County, NE borders Adams County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Phelps County, NE, and Webster County, NE.

United States Nebraska Kearney, NE

Population & Diversity

Kearney County, NE is home to a population of 6.71k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.59% of Kearney County, NE residents were born outside of the country (107 people).

In 2024, there were 29.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.09k people) in Kearney County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 206 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 161 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Kearney County, NE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Kearney County, NE was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Kearney County, NE

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.09k ± 34
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
206 ± 115
Other (Hispanic)
161 ± 76

6.84%

Hispanic Population

459 people

6.84% of the people in Kearney County, NE are hispanic (459 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Kearney 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

1.59%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

107 people

1.45%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

97 people

As of 2024, 1.59% of Kearney County, NE residents (107 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 Kearney County, NE was 1.45%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
85 ± 49
Gulf War (2001-)
80 ± 49
Gulf War (1990s)
54 ± 46

Kearney County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.06 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Kearney County, NE employs 3.59k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Kearney County, NE were Health Care & Social Assistance (579 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (444 people), and Retail Trade (441 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($78,188), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($76,417), and Wholesale Trade ($75,625).

Employment

Occupations

3.59k

2024 Value

± 319

−0.306%

1 Year decline

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kearney County, NE declined at a rate of −0.306%, from 3.6k employees to 3.59k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kearney County, NE, are Management Occupations (563 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (348 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (300 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Kearney 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

3.59k

2024 Value

± 319

−0.306%

1 Year decline

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Kearney County, NE declined at a rate of −0.306%, from 3.6k employees to 3.59k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kearney County, NE, are Health Care & Social Assistance (579 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (444 people), and Retail Trade (441 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Kearney County, NE, though some of these residents may live in Kearney County, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$59,385

Median earning men ± $3,786

$34,797

Median earning women ± $4,314

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($79,250), Other Services Except Public Administration ($78,750), and Wholesale Trade ($75,708).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($73,750), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,639), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($42,031).

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

23
Other Services (except Public Administration)
15
Construction
11
Transportation and Warehousing

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

$19k
Manufacturing
$18.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$9.5k
Wholesale Trade

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 Kearney 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Kearney County, NE was $223,400 in 2024, which is 0.671 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $218,300 to $223,400, a 2.34% increase. The homeownership rate in Kearney County, NE is 77.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Kearney County, NE have an average commute time of 21.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Kearney County, NE is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.19% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.19%.

Housing

Property

$223,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,096

$2,180

Median Property Taxes

±$215

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 Kearney County, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

77.5%

Homeownership

2024

59.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.5% of the housing units in Kearney County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 78.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kearney 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.

$78,631

Median Household Income

± $10,435

2.81k

Number of Households

± 283

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.81k households in Kearney County, NE declined from $78,631 from the previous year's value of $79,167.

The following chart displays the households in Kearney 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Kearney 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 (80.9%)
Carpooled (8.54%)
Worked At Home (7.98%)

In 2024, 80.9% of workers in Kearney County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.54%) and those who worked at home (7.98%).

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

21.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kearney County, NE have a shorter commute time (21.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.31% of the workforce in Kearney County, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.19% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.19%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

7.21% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kearney County, NE (477 out of 6.62k 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 Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Kearney County, NE is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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, 9.2% of the children was living in poverty in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 4.2%.

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 98.7 in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 21.8 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 Kearney County, NE has health coverage, with 48.3% on employee plans, 8.86% on Medicaid, 15.2% on Medicare, 19.8% on non-group plans, and 1.77% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Kearney County, NE see 3,337 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,337 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2230 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2257 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,337 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Kearney County, NE

Primary care physicians in Kearney County, NE see an average of 3,337 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,337 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.4% under 18 years, 17.5% between 18 and 34 years, 37.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 20% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.09%

Uninsured

48.3%

Employer Coverage

8.86%

Medicaid

15.2%

Medicare

19.8%

Non-Group

1.77%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kearney County, NE grew by 17.7% from 5.17% to 6.09%.

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