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Howard County, Nebraska facts for kids

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Howard County
Howard County Courthouse in St. Paul
Howard County Courthouse in St. Paul
Map of Nebraska highlighting Howard 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 1871
Named for Oliver O. Howard
Seat St. Paul
Largest city St. Paul
Area
 • Total 576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Land 569 sq mi (1,470 km2)
 • Water 6.3 sq mi (16 km2)  1.1%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 6,475
 • Density 11.241/sq mi (4.340/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd

Howard County is a county in the state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 6,475. Its county seat is St. Paul. The county was formed in 1871 and named after Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard.

Howard County is part of the Grand Island, NE Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Howard County is represented by the prefix 49 (it had the 49th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

The terrain of Howard consists of low rolling hills. The leveled hilltops are mostly used for agriculture. The Upper Loup River flows southeastward into the county near its NW corner, turning eastward to flow toward its junction with Middle Loup River. The Middle Loup River flows northeastward into the county near its SW corner, turning north to join with the Upper Loup River near the county midpoint to form the Loup River, flowing eastward into Merrick County. The county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 6.3 square miles (16 km2) (1.1%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 281.svg U.S. Highway 281
  • N-11.svg Nebraska Highway 11
  • N-22.svg Nebraska Highway 22
  • N-58.svg Nebraska Highway 58
  • N-92.svg Nebraska Highway 92

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Loup Junction State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 4,391
1890 9,430 114.8%
1900 10,343 9.7%
1910 10,783 4.3%
1920 10,739 −0.4%
1930 10,020 −6.7%
1940 8,422 −15.9%
1950 7,226 −14.2%
1960 6,541 −9.5%
1970 6,807 4.1%
1980 6,773 −0.5%
1990 6,057 −10.6%
2000 6,567 8.4%
2010 6,274 −4.5%
2020 6,475 3.2%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 6,567 people, 2,546 households, and 1,797 families in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4.6 people/km2). There were 2,782 housing units at an average density of 5 units per square mile (1.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.69% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,546 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.

The county population contained 28.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,305, and the median income for a family was $40,259. Males had a median income of $27,270 versus $19,587 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,535. About 8.50% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Villages

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Howard (Nebraska) para niños

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