Buffalo County, Nebraska Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Buffalo County
U.S. county
Buffalo County Courthouse in Kearney
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1855 (authorized) 1870 (organized)
Named for	American bison
Seat	Kearney
Largest city	Kearney
Area
• Total	975 sq mi (2,530 km²)
• Land	968 sq mi (2,510 km²)
• Water	7.3 sq mi (19 km²) 0.7%%
Population
• Estimate (2018)	49,615
• Density	51.4/sq mi (19.8/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Buffalo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 46,102, making it Nebraska's fifth-most populous of the 93 counties. Its county seat is Kearney. The county was created in 1855 and was organized in 1870. It was named after the once-prevalent buffalo herds of the Great Plains.

Buffalo County is part of the Kearney, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Buffalo County is represented by the prefix 9; when the license plate system was established in 1922, the county ranked ninth in number of registered vehicles.

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
Communities
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 875 square miles (2,270 km²), of which 968 square miles (2,510 km²) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km²) (0.7%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 80
U.S. Highway 30
U.S. Highway 183
Nebraska Highway 2
Nebraska Highway 10
Nebraska Highway 40
Nebraska Highway 44
Nebraska Highway 68

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	114	—
1870	193	69.3%
1880	7,531	3,802.1%
1890	22,162	194.3%
1900	20,254	−8.6%
1910	21,907	8.2%
1920	23,787	8.6%
1930	24,338	2.3%
1940	23,655	−2.8%
1950	25,134	6.3%
1960	26,236	4.4%
1970	31,222	19.0%
1980	34,797	11.5%
1990	37,447	7.6%
2000	42,259	12.9%
2010	46,102	9.1%
2018 (est.)	49,615	7.6%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 42,259 people, 15,930 households, and 10,227 families in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 16,830 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.18% White, 0.55% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 4.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.5% were of German, 8.1% Irish, 7.8% English, 6.8% American and 5.3% Swedish ancestry.

There were 15,930 households, out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.90% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.80% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 17.80% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,782, and the median income for a family was $46,247. Males had a median income of $30,182 versus $21,977 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,510. About 6.30% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 8.50% of those age 65 or over.