Kearney is a city located in Buffalo County Nebraska. It is also the county seat of Buffalo County. With a 2023 population of 34,690, it is the 5th largest city in Nebraska and the 1325th largest city in the United States.Kearney is currently growing at a rate of 0.87% annually and its population has increased by 2.66% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 33,790 in 2020. Spanning over 15 miles, Kearney has a population density of 2,400 people per square mile.
The average household income in Kearney is $73,815 with a poverty rate of 16.76%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Kearney is 32.1 years, 31 years for males, and 33.5 years for females.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Kearney was:
White
Other race
Two or more races
Asian
Black or African American
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2.94
Average Family Size
2.38
Average Household Size
61.2%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 70.97%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 29.13%.
All
Male
Female
$43,960
Average Earnings
$52,926
Average Male
$34,601
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
91.24% of Kearney residents speak only English, while 8.76% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 5.87% of the population.
rate
16.76%
Overall Poverty Rate
13.79%
Male Poverty Rate
15.55%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Kearney is Hispanic, with 30.07% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Kearney is Asian, with 14.86% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.76%. Among those working part-time, it was 27.36%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 20.58%.
rate
rate
Households
Families
MarriedFamilies
NonFamilies
mean
median
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
44.3%
Overall Marriage Rate
46.8%
Male Marriage Rate
41.8%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Second Gulf War
First Gulf War
Vietnam
Korea
World War II
1,602
Number of Veterans
1,394
Male Veterans
208
Female Veterans
count
count
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
7.76%
Veteran Poverty Rate
32.89%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
72.3%
Labor Force Participation
69.8%
Employment Rate
2.8%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
73.2%
Born in Kearney
94.96%
Native Born
5.02%
Foreign Born
2.72%
Non Citizen
2.31%
Naturalized
94.96% of Kearney residents were born in the United States, with 73.2% having been born in Nebraska. 2.72% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.