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Box Butte County, Nebraska facts for kids

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Box Butte County
Box Butte County Courthouse in Alliance
Box Butte County Courthouse in Alliance
Map of Nebraska highlighting Box Butte County
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Map of the United States highlighting Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Nebraska
Founded 1886
Seat Alliance
Largest city Alliance
Area
 • Total 1,078 sq mi (2,790 km2)
 • Land 1,075 sq mi (2,780 km2)
 • Water 2.5 sq mi (6 km2)  0.2%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2021)
10,604
 • Density 10.1/sq mi (3.9/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Boxbuttecounty
Box Butte County

Box Butte County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 10,842. Its county seat is Alliance. The county was formed in 1886; it took its name from a large box-shaped butte north of Alliance.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Box Butte County is represented by the prefix 65 (it had the sixty–fifth largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Box Butte County was formed as part of a series of partitionings of the Nebraska Panhandle. In 1883, the Nebraska legislature divided the Panhandle into two counties, Sioux and Cheyenne. In 1885 the original Sioux County was divided into three counties: Sioux, Dawes, and Sheridan. Because of the distance to the county seat of Chadron, residents of southern Dawes County asked that it be split off; in 1886, the legislature created Box Butte County. The new county was named after a butte in the northern part of the county; before the county's formation, its name had been used in advertisements by railroad companies seeking to entice settlers to the area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Box Butte County is represented by the prefix 65 (it had the 65th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,078 square miles (2,790 km2) of which 1,075 square miles (2,780 km2) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) (11%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 385
  • N-2.svg Nebraska Highway 2
  • N-71.svg Nebraska Highway 71
  • N-87.svg Nebraska Highway 87

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 5,494
1900 5,572 1.4%
1910 6,131 10.0%
1920 8,407 37.1%
1930 11,861 41.1%
1940 10,736 −9.5%
1950 12,279 14.4%
1960 11,688 −4.8%
1970 10,094 −13.6%
1980 13,696 35.7%
1990 13,130 −4.1%
2000 12,158 −7.4%
2010 11,308 −7.0%
2020 10,842 −4.1%
2022 (est.) 10,672 −5.6%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2022

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 12,158 people, 4,780 households, and 3,298 families in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4.2 people/km2). There were 5,488 housing units at an average density of 5 units per square mile (1.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.84% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 2.74% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.55% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. 7.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.4% were of German, 8.4% English, 8.1% Irish and 5.3% American ancestry.

There were 4,780 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.05.

The county population contained 28.10% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,366 and the median income for a family was $46,670. Males had a median income of $36,966 versus $21,762 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,407. About 9.70% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Village

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated places

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Box Butte para niños

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