Nebraska Demographics
Nebraska is the 38th most populous of 52 states in the United States, with 1,961,504 residents across 76,818 square miles. That is about 26 people per square mile. 73% of residents live in urban areas.
At the 2020 census
| Population | 1,961,504 |
|---|---|
| Land area | 76,818 sq mi |
| Density | 26 / sq mi |
| Urban share | 73% |
Data: 2020 Census · American Community Survey 2024
How Nebraska compares to the US
We're computing this state's comparison table — check back shortly. Population, land area, and density above are already exact.
Central Location: Nebraska
Measured from the state's main population center using 2020 census blocks.
We're computing the drive-time and radius areas around Nebraska — check back shortly. Meanwhile you can drop a pin anywhere in the radius tool.
Counties in Nebraska
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 584,526 | 326.4 | 1,791 |
| Lancaster County | 322,608 | 837.6 | 385 |
| Sarpy County | 190,604 | 238.1 | 801 |
| Hall County | 62,895 | 546.4 | 115 |
| Buffalo County | 50,084 | 968.2 | 52 |
| Dodge County | 37,167 | 529.1 | 70 |
| Scotts Bluff County | 36,084 | 739.6 | 49 |
| Madison County | 35,585 | 572.6 | 62 |
| Lincoln County | 34,676 | 2,564.1 | 14 |
| Platte County | 34,296 | 674.0 | 51 |
| Adams County | 31,205 | 563.3 | 55 |
| Cass County | 26,598 | 557.3 | 48 |
| Dawson County | 24,111 | 1,013.1 | 24 |
| Saunders County | 22,278 | 748.9 | 30 |
| Gage County | 21,704 | 851.5 | 25 |
| Dakota County | 21,582 | 264.3 | 82 |
| Washington County | 20,865 | 390.0 | 54 |
| Seward County | 17,609 | 571.4 | 31 |
| Otoe County | 15,912 | 615.7 | 26 |
| Saline County | 14,292 | 574.1 | 25 |
| York County | 14,125 | 572.5 | 25 |
| Box Butte County | 10,842 | 1,075.1 | 10 |
| Red Willow County | 10,702 | 717.0 | 15 |
| Colfax County | 10,582 | 411.6 | 26 |
| Custer County | 10,545 | 2,575.6 | 4 |
| Holt County | 10,127 | 2,412.3 | 4 |
| Wayne County | 9,697 | 442.9 | 22 |
| Cheyenne County | 9,468 | 1,196.0 | 8 |
| Hamilton County | 9,429 | 542.1 | 17 |
| Cuming County | 9,013 | 570.5 | 16 |
| Phelps County | 8,968 | 539.8 | 17 |
| Knox County | 8,391 | 1,108.2 | 8 |
| Cedar County | 8,380 | 740.2 | 11 |
| Butler County | 8,369 | 584.9 | 14 |
| Keith County | 8,335 | 1,061.7 | 8 |
| Dawes County | 8,199 | 1,396.4 | 6 |
| Richardson County | 7,871 | 551.8 | 14 |
| Merrick County | 7,668 | 487.3 | 16 |
| Pierce County | 7,317 | 573.2 | 13 |
| Jefferson County | 7,240 | 570.2 | 13 |
| Nemaha County | 7,074 | 407.4 | 17 |
| Thurston County | 6,773 | 393.6 | 17 |
| Burt County | 6,722 | 491.6 | 14 |
| Kearney County | 6,688 | 516.2 | 13 |
| Howard County | 6,475 | 569.3 | 11 |
| Antelope County | 6,295 | 857.2 | 7 |
| Clay County | 6,104 | 572.3 | 11 |
| Stanton County | 5,842 | 427.7 | 14 |
| Dixon County | 5,606 | 476.1 | 12 |
| Fillmore County | 5,551 | 575.4 | 10 |
| Cherry County | 5,455 | 5,960.4 | 1 |
| Boone County | 5,379 | 686.5 | 8 |
| Johnson County | 5,290 | 376.1 | 14 |
| Polk County | 5,214 | 438.7 | 12 |
| Sheridan County | 5,127 | 2,440.9 | 2 |
| Thayer County | 5,034 | 573.8 | 9 |
| Furnas County | 4,636 | 719.1 | 6 |
| Morrill County | 4,555 | 1,423.9 | 3 |
| Nuckolls County | 4,095 | 575.2 | 7 |
| Valley County | 4,059 | 568.1 | 7 |
| Chase County | 3,893 | 894.4 | 4 |
| Kimball County | 3,434 | 951.9 | 4 |
| Webster County | 3,395 | 574.9 | 6 |
| Nance County | 3,380 | 441.6 | 8 |
| Harlan County | 3,073 | 553.5 | 6 |
| Sherman County | 2,959 | 565.9 | 5 |
| Brown County | 2,903 | 1,221.4 | 2 |
| Franklin County | 2,889 | 575.8 | 5 |
| Perkins County | 2,858 | 883.3 | 3 |
| Hitchcock County | 2,616 | 709.9 | 4 |
| Pawnee County | 2,544 | 431.1 | 6 |
| Frontier County | 2,519 | 974.6 | 3 |
| Greeley County | 2,188 | 569.8 | 4 |
| Gosper County | 1,893 | 458.2 | 4 |
| Garden County | 1,874 | 1,705.4 | 1 |
| Deuel County | 1,838 | 439.9 | 4 |
| Garfield County | 1,813 | 569.3 | 3 |
| Boyd County | 1,810 | 539.4 | 3 |
| Dundy County | 1,654 | 919.7 | 2 |
| Rock County | 1,262 | 1,008.3 | 1 |
| Sioux County | 1,135 | 2,066.7 | 1 |
| Hayes County | 856 | 713.1 | 1 |
| Wheeler County | 774 | 575.2 | 1 |
| Keya Paha County | 769 | 773.1 | 1 |
| Logan County | 716 | 570.7 | 1 |
| Hooker County | 711 | 721.2 | 1 |
| Banner County | 674 | 746.0 | 1 |
| Thomas County | 669 | 712.6 | 1 |
| Grant County | 611 | 777.0 | 1 |
| Loup County | 607 | 563.5 | 1 |
| Arthur County | 434 | 715.2 | 1 |
| Blaine County | 431 | 710.7 | 1 |
| McPherson County | 399 | 859.3 | 0 |
Largest cities in Nebraska
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE | 490,828 | 142.7 | 3,440 |
| Lincoln, NE | 291,063 | 99.1 | 2,937 |
| Bellevue, NE | 64,251 | 21.5 | 2,990 |
| Grand Island, NE | 53,097 | 30.1 | 1,765 |
| Kearney, NE | 33,798 | 14.9 | 2,272 |
| Fremont, NE | 27,145 | 10.8 | 2,515 |
| Norfolk, NE | 25,652 | 18.0 | 1,427 |
| Hastings, NE | 25,135 | 14.9 | 1,690 |
| Papillion, NE | 24,164 | 12.0 | 2,015 |
| Columbus, NE | 24,029 | 10.3 | 2,324 |
| North Platte, NE | 23,379 | 13.5 | 1,729 |
| La Vista, NE | 16,746 | 5.6 | 2,976 |
Showing the 12 most populous of 590 — the rest are shown on the map.
Related places
Nearest states
About this page
This page shows demographics for a US state from the 2020 census and the American Community Survey: population, land area, density, and how the state compares to national averages for income, housing, age, and more.
Use the links below to drill into the state's counties and largest cities, or open any point of the state in the radius tool to measure the population within a distance or drive time.