List of counties in Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Counties of Nebraska |
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| Location | State of Nebraska |
| Number | 93 |
| Populations | 383 (McPherson) – 589,540 (Douglas) |
| Areas | 241 square miles (620 km2) (Sarpy) – 5,961 square miles (15,440 km2) (Cherry) |
| Government | County government |
| Subdivisions | cities, towns, townships, unincorporated communities, Indian reservations, census designated place |
Welcome to the world of Nebraska's counties! A county is a special area within a state. It helps organize local government and services. Nebraska, a state in the central United States, has 93 different counties. Each one has its own unique history and features.
These counties are like smaller puzzle pieces that make up the whole state. They help manage things like schools, roads, and local laws. You can identify them by their names, special codes, and even the numbers on their license plates!
Many counties were named after important people or places. Sometimes, the original records didn't include the full names of those honored. This means for some counties, like Brown or Dixon, we only know the last name of the person they were named after.
Nebraska's official postal abbreviation is NE. Its special state code, used for things like data and statistics, is 31.
Discover Nebraska's Counties
Nebraska has 93 counties, each with its own story. Below is a list showing each county. You'll find out when it was created, where its name came from, and even its special license plate number.
The "County seat" is like the main town or capital of that county. It's usually where the county government offices are located.
| County |
FIPS code | County seat | Est. | Origin | Etymology | License plate prefix |
Population | Area | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County | 001 | Hastings | 1867 | Unorganized territory | John Adams, second President of the United States | 14 | 30,899 | 563 sq mi (1,458 km2) |
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| Antelope County | 003 | Neligh | 1871 | Unorganized territory | Pronghorn, often called antelope | 26 | 6,302 | 857 sq mi (2,220 km2) |
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| Arthur County | 005 | Arthur | 1913 | Unorganized territory | Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of the United States | 91 | 412 | 715 sq mi (1,852 km2) |
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| Banner County | 007 | Harrisburg | 1888 | Formed from Cheyenne County | Early settlers' goal of making it the "banner county" of the state | 85 | 674 | 746 sq mi (1,932 km2) |
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| Blaine County | 009 | Brewster | 1885 | Unorganized territory | James G. Blaine, national politician | 86 | 436 | 711 sq mi (1,841 km2) |
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| Boone County | 011 | Albion | 1871 | Unorganized territory | Daniel Boone, American pioneer and trapper | 23 | 5,310 | 687 sq mi (1,779 km2) |
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| Box Butte County | 013 | Alliance | 1887 | Formed from Dawes County | A box-shaped butte north of Alliance | 65 | 10,692 | 1,075 sq mi (2,784 km2) |
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| Boyd County | 015 | Butte | 1891 | Holt County and unorganized territory (Indian Territory) | James E. Boyd, the eighth governor of Nebraska | 63 | 1,725 | 540 sq mi (1,399 km2) |
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| Brown County | 017 | Ainsworth | 1883 | Unorganized territory | The Brown family of early settlers | 75 | 2,853 | 1,221 sq mi (3,162 km2) |
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| Buffalo County | 019 | Kearney | 1855 | Unorganized territory | The American Bison | 9 | 50,697 | 968 sq mi (2,507 km2) |
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| Burt County | 021 | Tekamah | 1854 | One of nine original counties | Francis Burt, the first territorial governor | 31 | 6,727 | 493 sq mi (1,277 km2) |
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| Butler County | 023 | David City | 1856 | Formed from Greene County | William O. Butler, U.S. Congressman and military leader | 25 | 8,459 | 584 sq mi (1,513 km2) |
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| Cass County | 025 | Plattsmouth | 1854 | One of nine original counties | Lewis Cass, U.S. Senator who supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act | 20 | 27,446 | 559 sq mi (1,448 km2) |
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| Cedar County | 027 | Hartington | 1857 | Formed from Dixon and Pierce Counties | The eastern red cedar | 13 | 8,262 | 740 sq mi (1,917 km2) |
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| Chase County | 029 | Imperial | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Champion S. Chase, Nebraska's first attorney general | 72 | 3,724 | 894 sq mi (2,315 km2) |
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| Cherry County | 031 | Valentine | 1883 | Unorganized territory | Samuel A. Cherry, army lieutenant killed in the Indian Wars | 66 | 5,492 | 5,961 sq mi (15,439 km2) |
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| Cheyenne County | 033 | Sidney | 1867 | Unorganized territory | Named for the Cheyenne Indian tribe | 39 | 9,541 | 1,196 sq mi (3,098 km2) |
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| Clay County | 035 | Clay Center | 1855 | Formed from unorganized territory | Henry Clay, national politician | 30 | 6,116 | 573 sq mi (1,484 km2) |
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| Colfax County | 037 | Schuyler | 1869 | Formed from Platte County | Schuyler Colfax, Vice President of the United States | 43 | 10,566 | 413 sq mi (1,070 km2) |
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| Cuming County | 039 | West Point | 1855 | Formed from Burt County | Thomas B. Cuming, first territorial secretary | 24 | 8,918 | 572 sq mi (1,481 km2) |
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| Custer County | 041 | Broken Bow | 1877 | Unorganized territory | George Armstrong Custer, U.S. Army general | 4 | 10,581 | 2,576 sq mi (6,672 km2) |
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| Dakota County | 043 | Dakota City | 1855 | Formed from Burt County | Dakota branch of the Sioux Indian tribe | 70 | 21,268 | 264 sq mi (684 km2) |
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| Dawes County | 045 | Chadron | 1885 | Formed from Sioux County | James W. Dawes, the sixth governor of Nebraska | 69 | 8,133 | 1,396 sq mi (3,616 km2) |
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| Dawson County | 047 | Lexington | 1860 | Unorganized territory | Jacob Dawson, first postmaster for Lincoln | 18 | 24,085 | 1,013 sq mi (2,624 km2) |
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| Deuel County | 049 | Chappell | 1888 | Formed from Cheyenne County | The Deuel family of early settlers | 78 | 1,871 | 440 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
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| Dixon County | 051 | Ponca | 1856 | Formed from Blackbird County, Izard County, and unorganized territory | The Dixon family of early settlers | 35 | 5,491 | 476 sq mi (1,233 km2) |
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| Dodge County | 053 | Fremont | 1854 | One of nine original counties | Augustus Caesar Dodge, U.S. Senator who supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act | 5 | 37,187 | 534 sq mi (1,383 km2) |
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| Douglas County | 055 | Omaha | 1854 | One of nine original counties | Stephen Arnold Douglas, national politician | 1 | 589,540 | 331 sq mi (857 km2) |
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| Dundy County | 057 | Benkelman | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Elmer Scipio Dundy, U.S. Circuit Court judge | 76 | 1,561 | 920 sq mi (2,383 km2) |
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| Fillmore County | 059 | Geneva | 1856 | Formed from Jackson County and unorganized territory | Millard Fillmore, thirteenth president of the United States | 34 | 5,548 | 576 sq mi (1,492 km2) |
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| Franklin County | 061 | Franklin | 1867 | Formed from Kearney County | Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father | 50 | 2,825 | 576 sq mi (1,492 km2) |
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| Frontier County | 063 | Stockville | 1872 | Unorganized territory | Its location | 60 | 2,585 | 975 sq mi (2,525 km2) |
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| Furnas County | 065 | Beaver City | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Robert Wilkinson Furnas, third governor of Nebraska | 38 | 4,556 | 718 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
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| Gage County | 067 | Beatrice | 1855 | Unorganized territory | William D. Gage, contemporary chaplain of the state legislature | 3 | 21,634 | 855 sq mi (2,214 km2) |
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| Garden County | 069 | Oshkosh | 1910 | Formed from Deuel County | Early settlers' hopes for it to become the "garden spot of the west" | 77 | 1,794 | 1,705 sq mi (4,416 km2) |
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| Garfield County | 071 | Burwell | 1884 | Formed from Wheeler County | James Abram Garfield, twentieth president of the United States | 83 | 1,763 | 570 sq mi (1,476 km2) |
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| Gosper County | 073 | Elwood | 1873 | Unorganized territory | John J. Gosper, contemporary Nebraska secretary of state | 73 | 1,847 | 458 sq mi (1,186 km2) |
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| Grant County | 075 | Hyannis | 1887 | Unorganized territory | Ulysses S. Grant, eighteenth president of the United States | 92 | 565 | 776 sq mi (2,010 km2) |
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| Greeley County | 077 | Greeley | 1871 | Unorganized territory | Horace Greeley, journalist | 62 | 2,219 | 570 sq mi (1,476 km2) |
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| Hall County | 079 | Grand Island | 1858 | Unorganized territory | Augustus Hall, contemporary chief justice of the Territorial Supreme Court | 8 | 62,197 | 546 sq mi (1,414 km2) |
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| Hamilton County | 081 | Aurora | 1867 | Unorganized territory | Alexander Hamilton, first United States Secretary of the Treasury | 28 | 9,537 | 544 sq mi (1,409 km2) |
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| Harlan County | 083 | Alma | 1871 | Formed from Kearney County | Disputed; either James Harlan, national politician, or a local revenue collector | 51 | 3,045 | 553 sq mi (1,432 km2) |
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| Hayes County | 085 | Hayes Center | 1877 | Unorganized territory | Rutherford B. Hayes, nineteenth president of the United States | 79 | 846 | 713 sq mi (1,847 km2) |
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| Hitchcock County | 087 | Trenton | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Phineas Warren Hitchcock, Nebraska U.S. Senator | 67 | 2,552 | 710 sq mi (1,839 km2) |
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| Holt County | 089 | O'Neill | 1860 | Unorganized territory | Joseph Holt, U.S. Postmaster General and Secretary of War | 36 | 10,093 | 2,413 sq mi (6,250 km2) |
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| Hooker County | 091 | Mullen | 1889 | Unorganized territory | Joseph Hooker, U.S. Army general | 93 | 679 | 721 sq mi (1,867 km2) |
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| Howard County | 093 | Saint Paul | 1871 | Formed from Hall County | Oliver O. Howard, U.S. Army general | 49 | 6,527 | 570 sq mi (1,476 km2) |
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| Jefferson County | 095 | Fairbury | 1856 | Unorganized territory | Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States | 33 | 7,054 | 573 sq mi (1,484 km2) |
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| Johnson County | 097 | Tecumseh | 1857 | Formed from Nemaha and Otoe Counties | Richard Mentor Johnson, ninth vice president of the United States | 57 | 5,198 | 376 sq mi (974 km2) |
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| Kearney County | 099 | Minden | 1860 | Unorganized territory | Fort Kearny, with a misspelling | 52 | 6,770 | 516 sq mi (1,336 km2) |
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| Keith County | 101 | Ogallala | 1873 | Unorganized territory | M.C. Keith, rancher with wide holdings | 68 | 8,113 | 1,061 sq mi (2,748 km2) |
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| Keya Paha County | 103 | Springview | 1884 | Formed from Brown County and unorganized Indian territory | Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá (turtle hill river) | 82 | 805 | 773 sq mi (2,002 km2) |
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| Kimball County | 105 | Kimball | 1888 | Formed from Cheyenne County | Thomas L. Kimball, Union Pacific Railroad official | 71 | 3,289 | 952 sq mi (2,466 km2) |
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| Knox County | 107 | Center | 1857 | Formed from Pierce County and unorganized territory (Former names-L'Eau Qui Court (1857-1867) and Emmet (1867-1873)) | Henry Knox, first U.S. Secretary of War | 12 | 8,298 | 1,108 sq mi (2,870 km2) |
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| Lancaster County | 109 | Lincoln | 1855 | Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties | Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Lancaster, England | 2 | 326,716 | 839 sq mi (2,173 km2) |
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| Lincoln County | 111 | North Platte | 1860 | Unorganized territory | Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United States | 15 | 33,365 | 2,564 sq mi (6,641 km2) |
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| Logan County | 113 | Stapleton | 1885 | Unorganized territory | John A. Logan, U.S. Army general | 87 | 655 | 571 sq mi (1,479 km2) |
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| Loup County | 115 | Taylor | 1883 | Unorganized territory | Loup River | 88 | 592 | 570 sq mi (1,476 km2) |
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| Madison County | 119 | Madison | 1856 | Formed from Loup County, and McNeale County, and unorganized territory | Either James Madison, fourth president of the United States, or local settlers' native Madison, Wisconsin | 7 | 35,627 | 573 sq mi (1,484 km2) |
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| McPherson County | 117 | Tryon | 1887 | Unorganized territory | James B. McPherson, U.S. Army general | 90 | 383 | 859 sq mi (2,225 km2) |
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| Merrick County | 121 | Central City | 1858 | Formed from Polk County and unorganized territory | Elvira Merrick, wife of legislator Henry W. DePuy | 46 | 7,755 | 485 sq mi (1,256 km2) |
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| Morrill County | 123 | Bridgeport | 1908 | Formed from Cheyenne County | Charles Henry Morrill, president of the Lincoln Land Company | 64 | 4,504 | 1,424 sq mi (3,688 km2) |
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| Nance County | 125 | Fullerton | 1879 | Formed from a Pawnee Indian reservation | Albinus Nance, fourth governor of Nebraska | 58 | 3,274 | 441 sq mi (1,142 km2) |
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| Nemaha County | 127 | Auburn | 1854 | One of nine original counties | Nimaha, the Otoe name meaning miry water for a local stream | 44 | 7,076 | 409 sq mi (1,059 km2) |
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| Nuckolls County | 129 | Nelson | 1860 | Unorganized territory | Lafayette Nuckolls, a member of the first Nebraska territorial legislature; and his brother, Stephen Nuckolls, a pioneering Nebraska settler, businessman and banker | 42 | 4,095 | 575 sq mi (1,489 km2) |
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| Otoe County | 131 | Nebraska City | 1854 | One of nine original counties | Oto (also Otoe) Native American tribe | 11 | 16,335 | 616 sq mi (1,595 km2) |
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| Pawnee County | 133 | Pawnee City | 1855 | Formed from Richardson County | Pawnee Native American tribe | 54 | 2,512 | 432 sq mi (1,119 km2) |
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| Perkins County | 135 | Grant | 1887 | Formed from Keith County | Charles E. Perkins, a president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad | 74 | 2,795 | 883 sq mi (2,287 km2) |
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| Phelps County | 137 | Holdrege | 1873 | Formed from Kearney County | William Phelps, an early settler | 37 | 9,057 | 540 sq mi (1,399 km2) |
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| Pierce County | 139 | Pierce | 1856 | Formed from Izard County, McNeale County, and unorganized territory | Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States | 40 | 7,299 | 574 sq mi (1,487 km2) |
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| Platte County | 141 | Columbus | 1856 | Formed from Greene and Loup Counties | Platte River which is in turn named for the French word for flat | 10 | 34,609 | 678 sq mi (1,756 km2) |
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| Polk County | 143 | Osceola | 1856 | Formed from York County and unorganized territory | James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States | 41 | 5,228 | 439 sq mi (1,137 km2) |
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| Red Willow County | 145 | McCook | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Red Willow Creek, which runs through the area | 48 | 10,457 | 717 sq mi (1,857 km2) |
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| Richardson County | 147 | Falls City | 1854 | One of nine original counties | William A. Richardson, a governor of the Nebraska Territory | 19 | 7,689 | 554 sq mi (1,435 km2) |
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| Rock County | 149 | Bassett | 1885 | Formed from Brown County | Either Rock Creek, which flows in the county; or the rocky condition of the soil in the area | 81 | 1,271 | 1,008 sq mi (2,611 km2) |
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| Saline County | 151 | Wilber | 1867 | Unorganized territory | Named for a belief held by the early pioneers that great salt springs and deposits could be found in the area, a hope found to be false | 22 | 14,555 | 575 sq mi (1,489 km2) |
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| Sarpy County | 153 | Papillion | 1857 | Formed from Cass and Douglas Counties | Peter A. Sarpy, a commander of a trading post in the future county | 59 | 199,886 | 241 sq mi (624 km2) |
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| Saunders County | 155 | Wahoo | 1856 | Formed from Douglas and Lancaster Counties | Alvin Saunders, a governor of the Nebraska Territory | 6 | 23,463 | 754 sq mi (1,953 km2) |
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| Scotts Bluff County | 157 | Gering | 1888 | Formed from Cheyenne County | Named for a towering bluff located in the Scotts Bluff National Monument; the bluffs themselves are named for Hiram Scott, a fur trapper who is alleged to have crawled 75 miles with a broken leg before collapsing and dying at the foot of the formation | 21 | 35,699 | 739 sq mi (1,914 km2) |
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| Seward County | 159 | Seward | 1855 | Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties | William Henry Seward, the United States Secretary of State during the 1860s | 16 | 17,671 | 575 sq mi (1,489 km2) |
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| Sheridan County | 161 | Rushville | 1885 | Formed from Sioux County | Philip Henry Sheridan, a general in the American Civil War | 61 | 4,928 | 2,441 sq mi (6,322 km2) |
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| Sherman County | 163 | Loup City | 1871 | Formed from Buffalo County and unorganized territory | William Tecumseh Sherman, the American Civil War general | 56 | 2,983 | 566 sq mi (1,466 km2) |
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| Sioux County | 165 | Harrison | 1877 | Unorganized territory | Sioux Native American tribe | 80 | 1,154 | 1,313 sq mi (3,401 km2) |
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| Stanton County | 167 | Stanton | 1855 | Formed from Burt County | Edwin M. Stanton, the United States Secretary of War during most of the American Civil War | 53 | 5,856 | 430 sq mi (1,114 km2) |
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| Thayer County | 169 | Hebron | 1871 | Formed from Jefferson County | John Milton Thayer, the seventh governor of Nebraska | 32 | 4,829 | 575 sq mi (1,489 km2) |
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| Thomas County | 171 | Thedford | 1887 | Unorganized territory | George Henry Thomas, a general in the American Civil War | 89 | 677 | 713 sq mi (1,847 km2) |
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| Thurston County | 173 | Pender | 1889 | Formed from Blackbird County and an Omaha Indian reservation | John Mellen Thurston, a U. S. senator from Nebraska | 55 | 6,557 | 394 sq mi (1,020 km2) |
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| Valley County | 175 | Ord | 1871 | Unorganized territory | Named for the many valleys in the area | 47 | 4,012 | 568 sq mi (1,471 km2) |
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| Washington County | 177 | Blair | 1854 | One of nine original counties | George Washington, the first president of the United States | 29 | 21,152 | 390 sq mi (1,010 km2) |
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| Wayne County | 179 | Wayne | 1867 | Unorganized territory | Anthony Wayne, the American Revolutionary War general nicknamed "Mad Anthony" by his troops | 27 | 9,874 | 444 sq mi (1,150 km2) |
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| Webster County | 181 | Red Cloud | 1867 | Unorganized territory | Daniel Webster, the statesman and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts | 45 | 3,351 | 575 sq mi (1,489 km2) |
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| Wheeler County | 183 | Bartlett | 1877 | Unorganized territory | Daniel H. Wheeler, a secretary of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture | 84 | 775 | 575 sq mi (1,489 km2) |
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| York County | 185 | York | 1855 | Formed from Cass County, Pierce County, and unorganized territory | Named for either York, England, or York County, Pennsylvania | 17 | 14,356 | 576 sq mi (1,492 km2) |
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Counties That No Longer Exist
Over time, some county boundaries in Nebraska have changed. A few counties that once existed are no longer on the map today. Their land was used to create new counties or added to existing ones.
- Clay (1855-1864): This county was formed from unorganized land. It later became part of Gage and Lancaster Counties.
- Jackson (1855-1856): Formed from unorganized land, it was later added to Fillmore County.
- Johnson (1855-1856): This county was also formed from unorganized land and later became unorganized territory again.
- Blackbird (1855-1888): Formed from Burt County, it later became Thurston County.
- Loup (1855-1856): This early county was formed from Burt and unorganized land. It was later divided into Madison, Monroe, and Platte Counties.
- Jones (1856-1866): Formed from unorganized territory, it later became part of Jefferson County.
- West (1860-1862): Formed from unorganized territory, it later became part of Holt County.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Condados de Nebraska para niños
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List of counties in Nebraska Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.