Kearney County, NE

County

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2023 Population

6,697

0.631% 1-year growth

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

40.3

5.22% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

6.69%

29.3% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$79,167

6.58% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$218,300

7.43% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

3,600

3.54% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Kearney County, NE had a population of 6.7k people with a median age of 40.3 and a median household income of $79,167. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Kearney County, NE grew from 6,655 to 6,697, a 0.631% increase and its median household income grew from $74,276 to $79,167, a 6.58% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Kearney County, NE are White (Non-Hispanic) (91.3%), Other (Hispanic) (2.4%), Two+ (Hispanic) (2.27%), White (Hispanic) (1.81%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.1%).

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.

99.8% of the residents in Kearney County, NE are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Kearney County, NE was $218,300, and the homeownership rate was 78.4%.

Most people in Kearney County, NE drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21.5 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 6.7k people, from which 99.8% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.45% of Kearney County, NE residents were born outside of the country (97 people).

In 2023, there were 38 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.11k people) in Kearney County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 161 Other (Hispanic) and 152 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

96.3%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.8% of Kearney County, NE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Kearney County, NE was 96.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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)
6.11k ± 31
Other (Hispanic)
161 ± 78
Two+ (Hispanic)
152 ± 128

6.48%

Hispanic Population

434 people

6.48% of the people in Kearney County, NE are hispanic (434 people).

The following chart shows the 7 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
46,527 ± 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

1.45%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

97 people

5.15%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

343 people

As of 2023, 1.45% of Kearney County, NE residents (97 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 Kearney County, NE was 5.15%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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
104 ± 42
Gulf War (2001-)
79 ± 51
Gulf War (1990s)
57 ± 35

Kearney County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.32 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Kearney County, NE employs 3.6k people. The largest industries in Kearney County, NE are Health Care & Social Assistance (572 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (459 people), and Manufacturing (396 people), and the highest paying industries are Transportation & Warehousing ($83,500), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,297), and Wholesale Trade ($72,569).

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

3.6k

2023 Value

± 304

3.54%

1 Year growth

± 11.7%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Kearney County, NE grew at a rate of 3.54%, from 3.48k employees to 3.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Kearney County, NE, are Management Occupations (572 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (337 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (284 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 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

3.6k

2023 Value

± 304

3.54%

1 Year growth

± 11.7%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Kearney County, NE grew at a rate of 3.54%, from 3.48k employees to 3.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Kearney County, NE, are Health Care & Social Assistance (572 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (459 people), and Manufacturing (396 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

$58,033

Median earning men ± $4,339

$34,779

Median earning women ± $3,453

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($84,167), Wholesale Trade ($72,674), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($68,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($70,682), Manufacturing ($44,028), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($39,815).

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.

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

$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 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Kearney County, NE went to Donald J. Trump with 78.3% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (19.5%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (2.25%).

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 (78.3%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (19.5%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (2.25%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Kearney 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 Kearney County, NE was $218,300 in 2023, which is 0.72 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $203,200 to $218,300, a 7.43% increase. The homeownership rate in Kearney County, NE is 78.4%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Kearney County, NE have an average commute time of 21.5 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 2023, 8.07% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.0675%.

Housing

Property

$218,300

Median Property Value 2023

±$9,575

$2,140

Median Property Taxes

±$210

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

78.4%

Homeownership

2023

59.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 78.4% of the housing units in Kearney County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 77%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Kearney 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 9666
Census Tract 9667

The following map shows all of the tracts in Kearney 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.

$79,167

Median Household Income

± $8,116

2.73k

Number of Households

± 275

In 2023, the median household income of the 2.73k households in Kearney County, NE grew to $79,167 from the previous year's value of $74,276.

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.

0.444

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 (81.9%)
Worked At Home (7.72%)
Carpooled (7.53%)

In 2023, 81.9% of workers in Kearney County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.72%) and those who carpooled to work (7.53%).

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

21.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Kearney County, NE have a shorter commute time (21.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.81% 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 2023, 8.07% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 0.0675%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

6.69% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Kearney County, NE (442 out of 6.61k 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 Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 45 - 54.

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 2023, 9.1% of the children was living in poverty in Kearney County, NE. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 4.3%.

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

94.8% of the population of Kearney County, NE has health coverage, with 51.4% on employee plans, 7.93% on Medicaid, 15.4% on Medicare, 19% on non-group plans, and 1.12% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Kearney County, NE see 3326 patients per year on average, which represents a 2.4% increase from the previous year (3248 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2225 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2225 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

3,326 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Kearney County, NE

Primary care physicians in Kearney County, NE see an average of 3,326 patients per year. This represents a 2.4% increase from the previous year (3,248 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 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26% under 18 years, 17.3% between 18 and 34 years, 37.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.5% 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

5.17%

Uninsured

51.4%

Employer Coverage

7.93%

Medicaid

15.4%

Medicare

19%

Non-Group

1.12%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Kearney County, NE grew by 8.2% from 4.78% to 5.17%.

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.