Lincoln County, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
 Lincoln County Courthouse in North Platte | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofNebraska | |
| Coordinates:41°03′N100°45′W / 41.05°N 100.75°W /41.05; -100.75 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Nebraska |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Named after | Abraham Lincoln[1] |
| Seat | North Platte |
| Largest city | North Platte |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,575 sq mi (6,670 km2) |
| • Land | 2,564 sq mi (6,640 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 34,676 |
| • Density | 13/sq mi (5.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Lincoln County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofNebraska. As of the2020 census, the population was 34,676.[2] Itscounty seat isNorth Platte.[3] Despite the county's name, the state capital city ofLincoln is not in or near Lincoln County. Lincoln County is one of the three counties in theNorth Platte Micropolitan Statistical Area. In theNebraska license plate system, Lincoln County is represented by the prefix 15 (it had the fifteenth-largest number of vehicles registered for a state county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Lincoln County is located in the NebraskaSandhills, a region of mixed-grass prairie on grass-stabilized dunes. The land is generally given to agriculture, with considerablecenter pivot irrigation andcattle ranching. TheNorth Platte River and theSouth Platte River flow eastward fromKeith County, joining to form thePlatte River east of the city of North Platte in central Lincoln County. The Platte then flows ESE out of the county.[4] The county has a total area of 2,575 square miles (6,670 km2), of which 2,564 square miles (6,640 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (0.4%) is water.[5] It is the third-largest county in Nebraska by area.
Most of Nebraska's 93 counties (the eastern 2/3, including Lincoln County) observeCentral Time; the western counties observeMountain Time. Lincoln County is the westernmost of the Nebraska counties to entirely observe Central Time.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 17 | — | |
| 1880 | 3,632 | 21,264.7% | |
| 1890 | 10,441 | 187.5% | |
| 1900 | 11,416 | 9.3% | |
| 1910 | 15,684 | 37.4% | |
| 1920 | 23,420 | 49.3% | |
| 1930 | 25,627 | 9.4% | |
| 1940 | 25,425 | −0.8% | |
| 1950 | 27,380 | 7.7% | |
| 1960 | 28,491 | 4.1% | |
| 1970 | 29,538 | 3.7% | |
| 1980 | 36,455 | 23.4% | |
| 1990 | 32,508 | −10.8% | |
| 2000 | 34,632 | 6.5% | |
| 2010 | 36,288 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 34,676 | −4.4% | |
| US Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010-2013[20] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 34,676. The median age was 41.4 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.9 males age 18 and over.[21][22]
The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% White, 1.2%Black or African American, 0.6%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 2.7% from some other race, and 6.0% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.7% of the population.[22]
68.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 32.0% lived in rural areas.[23]
There were 14,683 households in the county, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[21]
There were 16,526 housing units, of which 11.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.0% were owner-occupied and 32.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.[21]
As of the2000 United States census[24] there were 34,632 people, 14,076 households, and 9,444 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 14 people per square mile (5.4 people/km2). There are 15,438 housing units in Lincoln: 6 units per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.70%White, 0.54%Black orAfrican American, 0.51%Native American, 0.37%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 2.65% fromother races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 5.43% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 14,076 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% weremarried couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97.
The county population contained 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,568, and the median income for a family was $45,185. Males had a median income of $36,244 versus $20,252 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,696. About 7.20% of families and 9.70% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.10% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.
Lincoln County voters generally vote Republican. In only three national elections since 1916 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate, most recently in 1964 in the midst ofLyndon B. Johnson's national landslide victory.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1900 | 1,386 | 53.06% | 1,169 | 44.75% | 57 | 2.18% |
| 1904 | 1,449 | 63.89% | 328 | 14.46% | 491 | 21.65% |
| 1908 | 1,541 | 48.43% | 1,382 | 43.43% | 259 | 8.14% |
| 1912 | 690 | 21.63% | 1,129 | 35.39% | 1,371 | 42.98% |
| 1916 | 1,309 | 34.61% | 2,192 | 57.96% | 281 | 7.43% |
| 1920 | 3,342 | 57.40% | 1,896 | 32.57% | 584 | 10.03% |
| 1924 | 2,857 | 40.94% | 1,373 | 19.67% | 2,749 | 39.39% |
| 1928 | 5,946 | 70.58% | 2,381 | 28.26% | 98 | 1.16% |
| 1932 | 3,082 | 32.68% | 6,047 | 64.12% | 302 | 3.20% |
| 1936 | 3,857 | 35.73% | 6,742 | 62.45% | 197 | 1.82% |
| 1940 | 5,908 | 54.36% | 4,960 | 45.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 5,969 | 57.88% | 4,344 | 42.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 4,419 | 51.68% | 4,131 | 48.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 8,292 | 69.00% | 3,726 | 31.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 7,523 | 62.70% | 4,475 | 37.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 7,685 | 61.49% | 4,812 | 38.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 4,811 | 42.74% | 6,446 | 57.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,996 | 58.39% | 3,491 | 34.00% | 782 | 7.62% |
| 1972 | 7,502 | 69.97% | 3,220 | 30.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 7,076 | 55.55% | 5,355 | 42.04% | 308 | 2.42% |
| 1980 | 9,643 | 66.60% | 3,768 | 26.02% | 1,068 | 7.38% |
| 1984 | 10,717 | 70.01% | 4,509 | 29.46% | 81 | 0.53% |
| 1988 | 8,425 | 57.57% | 6,118 | 41.81% | 91 | 0.62% |
| 1992 | 7,054 | 45.04% | 5,158 | 32.94% | 3,449 | 22.02% |
| 1996 | 7,482 | 50.54% | 5,165 | 34.89% | 2,157 | 14.57% |
| 2000 | 9,220 | 61.00% | 5,205 | 34.44% | 689 | 4.56% |
| 2004 | 11,056 | 68.25% | 4,905 | 30.28% | 238 | 1.47% |
| 2008 | 10,817 | 66.46% | 5,046 | 31.00% | 414 | 2.54% |
| 2012 | 10,728 | 68.53% | 4,450 | 28.43% | 477 | 3.05% |
| 2016 | 12,164 | 75.41% | 2,913 | 18.06% | 1,054 | 6.53% |
| 2020 | 13,071 | 76.16% | 3,692 | 21.51% | 400 | 2.33% |
| 2024 | 12,674 | 76.67% | 3,586 | 21.69% | 270 | 1.63% |
Places adjacent to Lincoln County, Nebraska | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofLincoln County, Nebraska,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
41°03′N100°45′W / 41.05°N 100.75°W /41.05; -100.75
