Thayer County, Nebraska Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Thayer County
County
Thayer County Courthouse in Hebron
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Established	May 9, 1871
Named for	John Milton Thayer
County seat	Hebron
Largest city	Hebron
Area
• Total	575 sq mi (1,490 km²)
• Land	574 sq mi (1,490 km²)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3 km²) 0.2%
Highest elevation	1,545 ft (471 m)
Lowest elevation	1,142 ft (348 m)
Population
• Estimate (2021)	4,913
• Density	8.8/sq mi (3.4/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	402/531
FIPS code	31169
GNIS feature ID	835906
Website	thayercountyne.gov

Thayer County is a special area in the state of Nebraska, USA. It is like a local government division. As of 2020, about 5,034 people live there. The main town, or county seat, where the county government is located, is Hebron.

Thayer County was first created in 1856. It was originally called Jefferson County. Later, in 1870-1871, it was officially organized and renamed. It got its new name from General and Governor John Milton Thayer.

If you see a Nebraska license plate with the number 32, it means the vehicle is from Thayer County. This number was given because Thayer County had the 32nd largest number of vehicles registered in the state back in 1922.

Geography of Thayer County
Population of Thayer County
Towns and Villages
- Cities
- Villages
Images for kids
See also

Geography of Thayer County

Thayer County is located in the southern part of Nebraska. Its southern border touches the northern border of Kansas. The land here has gentle, rolling hills that slope towards the east.

Waterways and Land Use

Two important streams flow through the county. Big Sandy Creek flows southeast and then east through the northern part. Rose Creek flows northeast through the southeastern part. These two creeks meet east of Thayer County. Many flat areas of the county are used for farming.

Thayer County covers about 575 square miles. Most of this area, about 574 square miles, is land. Only a small part, about 1.2 square miles, is water.

Main Roads in Thayer County

U.S. Highway 81
U.S. Highway 136
Nebraska Highway 4
Nebraska Highway 5
Nebraska Highway 8
Nebraska Highway 53

Neighboring Counties

Saline County – to the northeast
Jefferson County – to the east
Washington County, Kansas – to the southeast
Republic County, Kansas – to the south
Nuckolls County – to the west
Fillmore County – to the north

Protected Natural Areas

Thayer County is home to some special natural places:

Prairie Marsh State Wildlife Management Area
Prairie Marsh West State Wildlife Management Area

These areas help protect local wildlife and their habitats.

Population of Thayer County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	6,113	—
1890	12,738	108.4%
1900	14,325	12.5%
1910	14,775	3.1%
1920	13,976	−5.4%
1930	13,684	−2.1%
1940	12,262	−10.4%
1950	10,563	−13.9%
1960	9,118	−13.7%
1970	7,779	−14.7%
1980	7,582	−2.5%
1990	6,635	−12.5%
2000	6,055	−8.7%
2010	5,228	−13.7%
2020	5,034	−3.7%
2021 (est.)	4,913	−6.0%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 Its county seat is Hebron.

In 2000, there were 6,055 people living in Thayer County. The population density was about 10 people per square mile. Most of the people living there were White (98.70%).

About 27.70% of the households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had about 2.31 people. The average family had about 2.90 people.

The median age of people in the county was 44 years old. About 24.10% of the population was under 18 years old.