Holt County, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
 Holt County Courthouse in O'Neill | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNebraska | |
| Coordinates:42°28′N98°47′W / 42.46°N 98.78°W /42.46; -98.78 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nebraska |
| Founded | 1862 (created) 1876 (organized) |
| Named after | Joseph Holt |
| Seat | O'Neill |
| Largest city | O'Neill |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,417 sq mi (6,260 km2) |
| • Land | 2,412 sq mi (6,250 km2) |
| • Water | 5.1 sq mi (13 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,127 |
| • Density | 10,127.2/sq mi (3,910.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | holtcounty |
Holt County is acounty in theU.S. state ofNebraska. As of the2020 census, the population was 10,127.[1] Itscounty seat isO'Neill.[2]
Holt County is in theOutback area of Nebraska.[3]
In theNebraska license plate system, Holt County is represented by the prefix 36 (it had the 36th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Holt County was created by an act of theNebraska Territory Legislature in 1862, and was organized in 1876.[4][5][6] It is named forJoseph Holt of Kentucky, who waspostmaster general andsecretary of war underPresidentJames Buchanan. It shares its name withHolt County, Missouri, though it is named for a different Holt.
The terrain of Holt County consists of low, rolling hills, with the flattened areas used for agriculture. TheNiobrara River flows eastward along the north line of the county, and theElkhorn River flows southeastward through the upper central portion of the county. The county has an area of 2,417 sq mi (6,260 km2), of which 5.1 sq mi (13 km2) (0.2%) are covered by water.[7] It is Nebraska's fifth-largest county by area.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 3,287 | — | |
| 1890 | 13,672 | 315.9% | |
| 1900 | 12,224 | −10.6% | |
| 1910 | 15,545 | 27.2% | |
| 1920 | 17,151 | 10.3% | |
| 1930 | 16,509 | −3.7% | |
| 1940 | 16,552 | 0.3% | |
| 1950 | 14,489 | −12.5% | |
| 1960 | 13,722 | −5.3% | |
| 1970 | 12,933 | −5.7% | |
| 1980 | 13,552 | 4.8% | |
| 1990 | 12,599 | −7.0% | |
| 2000 | 11,551 | −8.3% | |
| 2010 | 10,435 | −9.7% | |
| 2020 | 10,127 | −3.0% | |
| US Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2013[12] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 10,127. The median age was 43.1 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.7 males age 18 and over.[13][14]
The racial makeup of the county was 93.4% White, 0.4%Black or African American, 0.5%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 2.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population.[14]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 4,257 households in the county, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
There were 4,893 housing units, of which 13.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.1% were owner-occupied and 27.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.0%.[13]
As of the2000 United States census,[16] 11,551 people, 4,608 households, and 3,170 families were residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 5 people/mi2 (1.9 people/km2). The 5,281 housing units averaged 2 per square mile (0.77/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 98.86% White, 0.03% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. About 0.71% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. By ancestry, 46.0% wereGerman, 12.5%Irish, 8.6%American, 7.5%English, and 5.4%Czech.
Of the 4,608 households, 31.6% had children under 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were not families. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46, and the average family size was 3.06.
The county's age distribution was 27.30% under 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.80% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,738, and for a family was $37,463. Males had a median income of $24,681 versus $17,593 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,256. About 9.8% of families and 13.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.
Holt County voters have historically tended to vote Republican. In only two elections since 1916 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1900 | 1,320 | 45.05% | 1,492 | 50.92% | 118 | 4.03% |
| 1904 | 1,740 | 52.92% | 646 | 19.65% | 902 | 27.43% |
| 1908 | 1,541 | 44.28% | 1,777 | 51.06% | 162 | 4.66% |
| 1912 | 778 | 21.62% | 1,456 | 40.47% | 1,364 | 37.91% |
| 1916 | 1,568 | 40.19% | 2,213 | 56.73% | 120 | 3.08% |
| 1920 | 3,163 | 64.58% | 1,577 | 32.20% | 158 | 3.23% |
| 1924 | 2,207 | 37.14% | 1,529 | 25.73% | 2,207 | 37.14% |
| 1928 | 3,746 | 54.43% | 3,126 | 45.42% | 10 | 0.15% |
| 1932 | 2,375 | 32.99% | 4,761 | 66.13% | 64 | 0.89% |
| 1936 | 3,714 | 47.84% | 3,902 | 50.26% | 148 | 1.91% |
| 1940 | 4,840 | 61.61% | 3,016 | 38.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 4,198 | 62.07% | 2,565 | 37.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 3,147 | 54.55% | 2,622 | 45.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 5,088 | 74.67% | 1,726 | 25.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 4,237 | 69.33% | 1,874 | 30.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 4,150 | 62.99% | 2,438 | 37.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 3,194 | 53.83% | 2,739 | 46.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,319 | 66.02% | 1,278 | 25.42% | 430 | 8.55% |
| 1972 | 4,147 | 79.75% | 1,053 | 20.25% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 3,389 | 64.21% | 1,751 | 33.18% | 138 | 2.61% |
| 1980 | 4,495 | 77.00% | 1,016 | 17.40% | 327 | 5.60% |
| 1984 | 4,613 | 83.19% | 893 | 16.10% | 39 | 0.70% |
| 1988 | 4,081 | 74.66% | 1,327 | 24.28% | 58 | 1.06% |
| 1992 | 3,131 | 54.90% | 835 | 14.64% | 1,737 | 30.46% |
| 1996 | 3,436 | 65.27% | 1,107 | 21.03% | 721 | 13.70% |
| 2000 | 3,954 | 79.73% | 846 | 17.06% | 159 | 3.21% |
| 2004 | 4,217 | 81.50% | 894 | 17.28% | 63 | 1.22% |
| 2008 | 3,746 | 75.31% | 1,089 | 21.89% | 139 | 2.79% |
| 2012 | 3,922 | 79.41% | 882 | 17.86% | 135 | 2.73% |
| 2016 | 4,354 | 85.07% | 531 | 10.38% | 233 | 4.55% |
| 2020 | 4,769 | 85.93% | 686 | 12.36% | 95 | 1.71% |
| 2024 | 4,708 | 86.26% | 681 | 12.48% | 69 | 1.26% |
Places adjacent to Holt County, Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofHolt County, Nebraska,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
42°28′N98°47′W / 42.46°N 98.78°W /42.46; -98.78
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| National | |
| Other | |
