Nebraska Counties by Population (2025)

Top 5 Most Populous Counties

Nebraska flag Douglas County

596,408

Nebraska flag Lancaster County

331,280

Nebraska flag Sarpy County

206,804

Nebraska flag Hall County

62,399

Nebraska flag Buffalo County

51,027

93 counties

County
2025 Pop. ↓
Area (mi²)
Density
Change (2020)
Douglas County596,4083261,8291.88%
Lancaster County331,2808383952.51%
Sarpy County206,8042388698.18%
Hall County62,399547114-0.58%
Buffalo County51,027968531.66%
Dodge County37,471529710.96%
Madison County36,053573631.47%
Scotts Bluff County35,55974048-1.36%
Platte County35,117675522.42%
Lincoln County32,8672,56413-4.82%
Adams County30,80356355-1.2%
Cass County28,034557505.35%
Dawson County24,4451,014241.49%
Saunders County24,035749327.42%
Gage County21,774851260.54%
Dakota County21,572264820.08%
Washington County21,122390540.93%
Seward County17,763571310.82%
Otoe County16,633616274.6%
Saline County14,56957425-1.03%
York County14,444573252.43%
Colfax County10,792411262.23%
Custer County10,7352,57542.4%
Box Butte County10,7101,07510-1.09%
Red Willow County10,31571714-3.44%
Holt County10,2532,41241.56%
Wayne County9,824443221.32%
Hamilton County9,733542183.54%
Cheyenne County9,5711,19680.93%
Phelps County9,195540172.41%
Cuming County8,84857016-1.79%
Butler County8,491585151.57%
Knox County8,2801,1087-1.24%
Cedar County8,05474011-3.83%
Keith County7,9811,0628-4.1%
Dawes County7,8951,3966-3.2%
Merrick County7,835488162.27%
Richardson County7,60755214-3.24%
Pierce County7,26357313-1.12%
Nemaha County7,156407181.04%
Kearney County6,898516133.14%
Jefferson County6,88257012-5.19%
Burt County6,64149213-1.16%
Howard County6,563569121.23%
Thurston County6,56139417-3%
Antelope County6,29685770.27%
Clay County6,250572112.46%
Stanton County6,038428143.59%
Fillmore County5,56257510-0.22%
Cherry County5,5065,96010.99%
Dixon County5,44147611-2.75%
Polk County5,20443912-0.27%
Boone County5,1986878-2.97%
Johnson County5,10437614-3.59%
Thayer County4,7795748-4.8%
Sheridan County4,7722,4402-6.36%
Furnas County4,5287196-2.12%
Morrill County4,4681,4243-2.02%
Nuckolls County4,14757571.32%
Valley County3,9205687-3.38%
Chase County3,6648944-5.76%
Webster County3,3755756-0.5%
Kimball County3,1959523-6.36%
Nance County3,1884427-5.96%
Harlan County3,07155360.46%
Sherman County2,9375665-0.64%
Brown County2,7931,2212-3.56%
Franklin County2,7755765-3.95%
Perkins County2,7318833-4.44%
Frontier County2,53397531.28%
Pawnee County2,4744316-2.44%
Hitchcock County2,4287103-7.26%
Greeley County2,18757040.37%
Gosper County1,8714584-1.32%
Deuel County1,8114404-1.09%
Boyd County1,7155393-4.78%
Garfield County1,7155693-5.09%
Garden County1,7121,7051-9.23%
Dundy County1,4939202-9.73%
Rock County1,3311,00815.22%
Sioux County1,2082,06715.96%
Hayes County8107131-5.37%
Keya Paha County80577315.92%
Wheeler County7615751-1.81%
Banner County70874614.27%
Thomas County70171314.47%
Hooker County6737211-4.54%
Logan County5955711-16.78%
Loup County5745631-5.75%
Grant County5277771-14.03%
Blaine County4047111-5.39%
McPherson County3918590.46-1.51%
Arthur County3867151-10.02%

Overview of Nebraska Counties

There are 93 counties in Nebraska.

The largest county by population is Douglas County, which has a population of 566,880 and is home to Omaha. It is the only county in Nebraska to have over 500,000 people. It comprises 29.38% of the state’s total population and has grown 9.32% since the 2010 Census.

The second-largest county by population in Nebraska is Lancaster County, home to 317,272 residents. Lancaster County is also home to Lincoln, the state capital. This is followed by Sarpy County, which has 184,459 residents.

These three counties are the only counties in Nebraska with populations over 100,000 people.

Smallest Counties

The smallest county in Nebraska is Blaine County. Blaine County’s population is only 435 people, resulting in a population density of just 0.76 persons per square kilometer. Since 2010, the population has declined by 9%. About 0.02% of Nebraska‘s total population lives in Blaine County.

The second-smallest county in Nebraska is Arthur County, which has a population of 465 people. Arthur County’s population density is just 0.81 persons per square kilometer.

Other counties in Nebraska with populations under 1,000 are:

Counties with Rapid Growth

Three Nebraska counties have experienced double-digit growth since 2010:

Other counties that have experienced significant growth since 2010 are:

While some counties have experienced significant population growth, many have seen a population decline. Dundy County has experienced the highest population decline since 2010 of 11.85%, followed by Sioux County (9.46%) and McPherson County (8.72%).

Sources

  1. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  2. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  4. Census QuickFacts
  5. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)