Thurston County, NE

County

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2024 Population

6,627

US Senator

Deb Fischer

Republican Party

US Senator

Pete Ricketts

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

29.2

1.74% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.9%

22.8% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$69,177

6.69% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$114,600

9.04% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,735

0.551% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Thurston 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.

99.3% of the residents in Thurston County, NE are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Thurston County, NE are Little Priest Tribal College (33 degrees awarded in 2023) and Nebraska Indian Community College (33 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Thurston County, NE was $114,600, and the homeownership rate was 61%.

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

Thurston County, NE borders Monona County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Burt County, NE, Cuming County, NE, Dakota County, NE, Dixon County, NE, and Wayne County, NE.

United States Nebraska

Population & Diversity

Thurston County, NE is home to a population of 6.63k people, from which 99.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.61% of Thurston County, NE residents were born outside of the country (107 people).

In 2024, there were 1.48 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.56k people) in Thurston County, NE than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.4k White (Non-Hispanic) and 182 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2024 Citizenship

99.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Thurston County, NE residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Thurston County, NE was 99.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Thurston County, NE

American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
3.56k ± 65
White (Non-Hispanic)
2.4k ± 30
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
182 ± 65

4.86%

Hispanic Population

322 people

4.86% of the people in Thurston County, NE are hispanic (322 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Thurston 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

1.61%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

107 people

1.38%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

92 people

As of 2024, 1.61% of Thurston 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 Thurston County, NE was 1.38%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
78 ± 41
Gulf War (2001-)
56 ± 29
Gulf War (1990s)
24 ± 21

Thurston County, NE has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.39 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Thurston County, NE employs 2.74k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Thurston County, NE were Health Care & Social Assistance (471 people), Public Administration (398 people), and Educational Services (375 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($66,250), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,250), and Wholesale Trade ($57,750).

Employment

Occupations

2.74k

2024 Value

± 182

0.551%

1 Year growth

± 9.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Thurston County, NE grew at a rate of 0.551%, from 2.72k employees to 2.74k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Thurston County, NE, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (401 people), Management Occupations (378 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (235 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Thurston 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

2.74k

2024 Value

± 182

0.551%

1 Year growth

± 9.15%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Thurston County, NE grew at a rate of 0.551%, from 2.72k employees to 2.74k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Thurston County, NE, are Health Care & Social Assistance (471 people), Public Administration (398 people), and Educational Services (375 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Thurston County, NE, though some of these residents may live in Thurston County, NE and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,886

Median earning men ± $3,517

$38,661

Median earning women ± $3,612

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($95,208), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,417), and Wholesale Trade ($63,333).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,750), Construction ($47,917), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($44,297).

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

14
Transportation and Warehousing
10
Other Services (except Public Administration)
9
Construction

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

$50.6k
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$49.6k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$31.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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 Thurston 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 Thurston County, NE awarded 66 degrees. The student population of Thurston County, NE in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 276 male students and 556 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Thurston County, NE are American Indian or Alaska Native (47 and 71.2%), White (13 and 19.7%), Hispanic or Latino (3 and 4.55%), and Two or More Races (2 and 3.03%).

The largest universities in Thurston County, NE by number of degrees awarded are Little Priest Tribal College (33 and 50%) and Nebraska Indian Community College (33 and 50%).

The most popular majors in Thurston County, NE are Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (22 and 33.3%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (15 and 22.7%), and Native American Studies (8 and 12.1%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $4,080 for in-state students and $4,080 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 832 students enrolled in Thurston County, NE, 33.2% men and 66.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in American Indian or Alaska Native with 644 records, of which 67.4% were women and 32.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
15 degrees awarded
Native American Studies
7 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
5 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Thurston County, NE was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 15 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Little Priest Tribal College
33 degrees awarded
Nebraska Indian Community College
33 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Little Priest Tribal College with 33 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 11 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Thurston County, NE, which is 0.2 times less than the 55 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was American Indian or Alaska Native students. These 47 degrees mean that there were 3.62 times more degrees awarded to American Indian or Alaska Native students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 13 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

Public, 2-year ($5,400) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($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 Thurston County, NE was $114,600 in 2024, which is 0.344 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $105,100 to $114,600, a 9.04% increase. The homeownership rate in Thurston County, NE is 61%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

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

In 2025, 18.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Thurston County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.265%.

Housing

Property

$114,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,639

$1,214

Median Property Taxes

±$107

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 Thurston County, NE the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

61%

Homeownership

2024

66.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61% of the housing units in Thurston County, NE were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 61.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Thurston 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.

$69,177

Median Household Income

± $2,235

1.99k

Number of Households

± 140

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.99k households in Thurston County, NE grew to $69,177 from the previous year's value of $64,838.

The following chart displays the households in Thurston 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 Thurston 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 (83.4%)
Carpooled (7.61%)
Walked (4.27%)

In 2024, 83.4% of workers in Thurston County, NE drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.61%) and those who walked to work (4.27%).

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 Thurston County, NE have a shorter commute time (21.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.07% of the workforce in Thurston County, NE have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 18.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Thurston County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.265%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

13.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Thurston County, NE (895 out of 6.44k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males < 5, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females < 5.

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

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, 25.5% of the children was living in poverty in Thurston County, NE. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.7%.

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 61.7 in Thurston County, NE. From 2017 to 2022, the indicator grew 32.2 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.6% of the population of Thurston County, NE has health coverage, with 36.7% on employee plans, 26.3% on Medicaid, 10.1% on Medicare, 15.6% on non-group plans, and 1.84% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Thurston County, NE see 1,103 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,103 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1084 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 205 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,103 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Thurston County, NE

Primary care physicians in Thurston County, NE see an average of 1,103 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,103 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 36.6% under 18 years, 21.5% between 18 and 34 years, 30% between 35 and 64 years, and 11.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.37%

Uninsured

36.7%

Employer Coverage

26.3%

Medicaid

10.1%

Medicare

15.6%

Non-Group

1.84%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Thurston County, NE declined by 39.2% from 15.4% to 9.37%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Thurston 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 112 in Thurston County, NE.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Thurston 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 48.8% in Thurston County, NE.

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