Howard County, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
 Howard County Courthouse in St. Paul | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNebraska | |
 Nebraska's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°13′N98°31′W / 41.22°N 98.52°W /41.22; -98.52 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nebraska |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Named after | Oliver O. Howard |
| Seat | St. Paul |
| Largest city | St. Paul |
| Area | |
• Total | 576 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Land | 569 sq mi (1,470 km2) |
| • Water | 6.3 sq mi (16 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,475 |
| • Density | 11.4/sq mi (4.39/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Howard County is acounty in thestate ofNebraska. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 6,475.[1] Itscounty seat isSt. Paul.[2] The county was formed in 1871 and named after Civil War GeneralOliver Otis Howard.[3]
Howard County is part of theGrand Island metropolitan area.
In theNebraska license plate system, Howard County is represented by the prefix 49 (it had the 49th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).
The terrain of Howard consists of low rolling hills. The leveled hilltops are mostly used for agriculture. TheUpper Loup River flows southeastward into the county near its NW corner, turning eastward to flow toward its junction with Middle Loup River. TheMiddle Loup River flows northeastward into the county near its SW corner, turning north to join with the Upper Loup River near the county midpoint to form theLoup River, flowing eastward into Merrick County. The county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 6.3 square miles (16 km2) (1.1%) is water.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 4,391 | — | |
| 1890 | 9,430 | 114.8% | |
| 1900 | 10,343 | 9.7% | |
| 1910 | 10,783 | 4.3% | |
| 1920 | 10,739 | −0.4% | |
| 1930 | 10,020 | −6.7% | |
| 1940 | 8,422 | −15.9% | |
| 1950 | 7,226 | −14.2% | |
| 1960 | 6,541 | −9.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,807 | 4.1% | |
| 1980 | 6,773 | −0.5% | |
| 1990 | 6,057 | −10.6% | |
| 2000 | 6,567 | 8.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,274 | −4.5% | |
| 2020 | 6,475 | 3.2% | |
| US Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10] | |||
As of the2000 United States census,[11] there were 6,567 people, 2,546 households, and 1,797 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 12 people per square mile (4.6 people/km2). There were 2,782 housing units at an average density of 5 units per square mile (1.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.69%White, 0.30%Black orAfrican American, 0.24%Native American, 0.09%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.32% fromother races, and 0.32% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,546 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% weremarried couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.
The county population contained 28.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,305, and the median income for a family was $40,259. Males had a median income of $27,270 versus $19,587 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,535. About 8.50% of families and 11.70% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.
Howard County voters have usually voted Republican for several decades. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1900 | 908 | 40.48% | 1,283 | 57.20% | 52 | 2.32% |
| 1904 | 1,259 | 56.97% | 476 | 21.54% | 475 | 21.49% |
| 1908 | 977 | 39.35% | 1,435 | 57.79% | 71 | 2.86% |
| 1912 | 431 | 19.57% | 1,118 | 50.77% | 653 | 29.65% |
| 1916 | 698 | 28.08% | 1,695 | 68.18% | 93 | 3.74% |
| 1920 | 1,508 | 50.76% | 1,311 | 44.13% | 152 | 5.12% |
| 1924 | 1,091 | 31.58% | 1,434 | 41.51% | 930 | 26.92% |
| 1928 | 1,937 | 46.60% | 2,197 | 52.85% | 23 | 0.55% |
| 1932 | 734 | 17.05% | 3,409 | 79.17% | 163 | 3.79% |
| 1936 | 1,223 | 27.21% | 3,148 | 70.05% | 123 | 2.74% |
| 1940 | 1,696 | 43.11% | 2,238 | 56.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,556 | 43.25% | 2,042 | 56.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,133 | 37.44% | 1,893 | 62.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 2,115 | 59.23% | 1,456 | 40.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,701 | 54.00% | 1,449 | 46.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,676 | 52.47% | 1,518 | 47.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,019 | 33.48% | 2,025 | 66.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,256 | 51.37% | 1,003 | 41.02% | 186 | 7.61% |
| 1972 | 1,691 | 64.15% | 945 | 35.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,362 | 49.78% | 1,316 | 48.10% | 58 | 2.12% |
| 1980 | 1,971 | 66.36% | 789 | 26.57% | 210 | 7.07% |
| 1984 | 1,899 | 67.68% | 887 | 31.61% | 20 | 0.71% |
| 1988 | 1,526 | 55.63% | 1,186 | 43.24% | 31 | 1.13% |
| 1992 | 1,138 | 39.65% | 778 | 27.11% | 954 | 33.24% |
| 1996 | 1,294 | 50.10% | 853 | 33.02% | 436 | 16.88% |
| 2000 | 1,760 | 62.26% | 955 | 33.78% | 112 | 3.96% |
| 2004 | 2,020 | 67.81% | 900 | 30.21% | 59 | 1.98% |
| 2008 | 1,847 | 61.65% | 1,083 | 36.15% | 66 | 2.20% |
| 2012 | 1,890 | 65.85% | 914 | 31.85% | 66 | 2.30% |
| 2016 | 2,284 | 76.29% | 544 | 18.17% | 166 | 5.54% |
| 2020 | 2,786 | 79.35% | 648 | 18.46% | 77 | 2.19% |
| 2024 | 2,868 | 80.43% | 642 | 18.00% | 56 | 1.57% |
Places adjacent to Howard County, Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofHoward County, Nebraska,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Villages | ||
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
41°13′N98°31′W / 41.22°N 98.52°W /41.22; -98.52
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