Wikipedia

List of counties in Nebraska

The following is a list of the 93 counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska, listed by name, FIPS code and license plate prefix.

Counties of Nebraska
LocationState of Nebraska
Number93
Populations372 (McPherson) – 586,327 (Douglas)
Areas241 square miles (620 km2) (Sarpy) – 5,961 square miles (15,440 km2) (Cherry)
Government
Subdivisions

Nebraska's postal abbreviation is NE and its FIPS state code is 31.

When many counties were formed, the bills establishing them did not state the honoree's full name; thus the namesakes of several counties, including Brown, Deuel, Dixon, and possibly Harlan, are known only by their surnames.

County list edit

County
 FIPS code[1] County seat[2] Est.[2] Origin Etymology License plate prefix
[3]		 Population[4] Area[2] Map
Adams County 001 Hastings 1867 Unorganized territory John Adams, second President of the United States 14 30,970 563 sq mi
(1,458 km2)		  
Antelope County 003 Neligh 1871 Unorganized territory Pronghorn, often called antelope 26 6,293 857 sq mi
(2,220 km2)		  
Arthur County 005 Arthur 1913 Unorganized territory Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of the United States 91 433 715 sq mi
(1,852 km2)		  
Banner County 007 Harrisburg 1888 Formed from Cheyenne County Early settlers' goal of making it the "banner county" of the state 85 660 746 sq mi
(1,932 km2)		  
Blaine County 009 Brewster 1885 Unorganized territory James G. Blaine, national politician 86 453 711 sq mi
(1,841 km2)		  
Boone County 011 Albion 1871 Unorganized territory Daniel Boone, American pioneer and trapper 23 5,385 687 sq mi
(1,779 km2)		  
Box Butte County 013 Alliance 1887 Formed from Dawes County A box-shaped butte north of Alliance 65 10,672 1,075 sq mi
(2,784 km2)		  
Boyd County 015 Butte 1891 Holt County and unorganized territory (Indian Territory) James E. Boyd, the eighth governor of Nebraska 63 1,741 540 sq mi
(1,399 km2)		  
Brown County 017 Ainsworth 1883 Unorganized territory The Brown family of early settlers 75 2,872 1,221 sq mi
(3,162 km2)		  
Buffalo County 019 Kearney 1855 Unorganized territory The American Bison 9 50,586 968 sq mi
(2,507 km2)		  
Burt County 021 Tekamah 1854 One of nine original counties Francis Burt, the first territorial governor 31 6,755 493 sq mi
(1,277 km2)		  
Butler County 023 David City 1856 Formed from Greene County William O. Butler, U.S. Congressman and military leader 25 8,427 584 sq mi
(1,513 km2)		  
Cass County 025 Plattsmouth 1854 One of nine original counties Lewis Cass, U.S. Senator who supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act 20 27,122 559 sq mi
(1,448 km2)		  
Cedar County 027 Hartington 1857 Formed from Dixon and Pierce Counties The eastern red cedar[5] 13 8,371 740 sq mi
(1,917 km2)		  
Chase County 029 Imperial 1873 Unorganized territory Champion S. Chase, Nebraska's first attorney general 72 3,772 894 sq mi
(2,315 km2)		  
Cherry County 031 Valentine 1883 Unorganized territory Samuel A. Cherry, army lieutenant killed in the Indian Wars 66 5,464 5,961 sq mi
(15,439 km2)		  
Cheyenne County 033 Sidney 1867 Unorganized territory Named for the Cheyenne Indian tribe 39 9,511 1,196 sq mi
(3,098 km2)		  
Clay County 035 Clay Center 1855 Formed from unorganized territory Henry Clay, national politician 30 6,049 573 sq mi
(1,484 km2)		  
Colfax County 037 Schuyler 1869 Formed from Platte County Schuyler Colfax, Vice President of the United States 43 10,444 413 sq mi
(1,070 km2)		  
Cuming County 039 West Point 1855 Formed from Burt County Thomas B. Cuming, first territorial secretary 24 8,929 572 sq mi
(1,481 km2)		  
Custer County 041 Broken Bow 1877 Unorganized territory George Armstrong Custer, U.S. Army general 4 10,476 2,576 sq mi
(6,672 km2)		  
Dakota County 043 Dakota City 1855 Formed from Burt County Dakota branch of the Sioux Indian tribe 70 21,042 264 sq mi
(684 km2)		  
Dawes County 045 Chadron 1885 Formed from Sioux County James W. Dawes, the sixth governor of Nebraska 69 8,241 1,396 sq mi
(3,616 km2)		  
Dawson County 047 Lexington 1860 Unorganized territory Jacob Dawson, first postmaster for Lincoln 18 23,884 1,013 sq mi
(2,624 km2)		  
Deuel County 049 Chappell 1888 Formed from Cheyenne County The Deuel family of early settlers 78 1,902 440 sq mi
(1,140 km2)		  
Dixon County 051 Ponca 1856 Formed from Blackbird County, Izard County, and unorganized territory The Dixon family of early settlers 35 5,464 476 sq mi
(1,233 km2)		  
Dodge County 053 Fremont 1854 One of nine original counties Augustus Caesar Dodge, U.S. Senator who supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act 5 36,997 534 sq mi
(1,383 km2)		  
Douglas County 055 Omaha 1854 One of nine original counties Stephen Arnold Douglas, national politician 1 586,327 331 sq mi
(857 km2)		  
Dundy County 057 Benkelman 1873 Unorganized territory Elmer Scipio Dundy, U.S. Circuit Court judge 76 1,590 920 sq mi
(2,383 km2)		  
Fillmore County 059 Geneva 1856 Formed from Jackson County and unorganized territory Millard Fillmore, thirteenth president of the United States 34 5,553 576 sq mi
(1,492 km2)		  
Franklin County 061 Franklin 1867 Formed from Kearney County Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father 50 2,873 576 sq mi
(1,492 km2)		  
Frontier County 063 Stockville 1872 Unorganized territory Its location 60 2,633 975 sq mi
(2,525 km2)		  
Furnas County 065 Beaver City 1873 Unorganized territory Robert Wilkinson Furnas, third governor of Nebraska 38 4,575 718 sq mi
(1,860 km2)		  
Gage County 067 Beatrice 1855 Unorganized territory William D. Gage, contemporary chaplain of the state legislature 3 21,583 855 sq mi
(2,214 km2)		  
Garden County 069 Oshkosh 1910 Formed from Deuel County Early settlers' hopes for it to become the "garden spot of the west" 77 1,837 1,705 sq mi
(4,416 km2)		  
Garfield County 071 Burwell 1884 Formed from Wheeler County James Abram Garfield, twentieth president of the United States 83 1,801 570 sq mi
(1,476 km2)		  
Gosper County 073 Elwood 1873 Unorganized territory John J. Gosper, contemporary Nebraska secretary of state 73 1,808 458 sq mi
(1,186 km2)		  
Grant County 075 Hyannis 1887 Unorganized territory Ulysses S. Grant, eighteenth president of the United States 92 576 776 sq mi
(2,010 km2)		  
Greeley County 077 Greeley 1871 Unorganized territory Horace Greeley, journalist 62 2,227 570 sq mi
(1,476 km2)		  
Hall County 079 Grand Island 1858 Unorganized territory Augustus Hall, contemporary chief justice of the Territorial Supreme Court 8 62,097 546 sq mi
(1,414 km2)		  
Hamilton County 081 Aurora 1867 Unorganized territory Alexander Hamilton, first United States Secretary of the Treasury 28 9,429 544 sq mi
(1,409 km2)		  
Harlan County 083 Alma 1871 Formed from Kearney County Disputed; either James Harlan, national politician, or a local revenue collector 51 3,054 553 sq mi
(1,432 km2)		  
Hayes County 085 Hayes Center 1877 Unorganized territory Rutherford B. Hayes, nineteenth president of the United States 79 849 713 sq mi
(1,847 km2)		  
Hitchcock County 087 Trenton 1873 Unorganized territory Phineas Warren Hitchcock, Nebraska U.S. Senator 67 2,598 710 sq mi
(1,839 km2)		  
Holt County 089 O'Neill 1860 Unorganized territory Joseph Holt, U.S. Postmaster General and Secretary of War 36 10,043 2,413 sq mi
(6,250 km2)		  
Hooker County 091 Mullen 1889 Unorganized territory Joseph Hooker, U.S. Army general 93 686 721 sq mi
(1,867 km2)		  
Howard County 093 Saint Paul 1871 Formed from Hall County Oliver O. Howard, U.S. Army general 49 6,515 570 sq mi
(1,476 km2)		  
Jefferson County 095 Fairbury 1856 Unorganized territory Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States 33 7,154 573 sq mi
(1,484 km2)		  
Johnson County 097 Tecumseh 1857 Formed from Nemaha and Otoe Counties Richard Mentor Johnson, ninth vice president of the United States 57 5,287 376 sq mi
(974 km2)		  
Kearney County 099 Minden 1860 Unorganized territory Fort Kearny, with a misspelling 52 6,690 516 sq mi
(1,336 km2)		  
Keith County 101 Ogallala 1873 Unorganized territory M.C. Keith, rancher with wide holdings 68 8,269 1,061 sq mi
(2,748 km2)		  
Keya Paha County 103 Springview 1884 Formed from Brown County and unorganized Indian territory Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá (turtle hill river) 82 787 773 sq mi
(2,002 km2)		  
Kimball County 105 Kimball 1888 Formed from Cheyenne County Thomas L. Kimball, Union Pacific Railroad official 71 3,315 952 sq mi
(2,466 km2)		  
Knox County 107 Center 1857 Formed from Pierce County and unorganized territory (Former names-L'Eau Qui Court (1857-1867) and Emmet (1867-1873)) Henry Knox, first U.S. Secretary of War 12 8,336 1,108 sq mi
(2,870 km2)		  
Lancaster County 109 Lincoln 1855 Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Lancaster, England 2 324,756 839 sq mi
(2,173 km2)		  
Lincoln County 111 North Platte 1860 Unorganized territory Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president of the United States 15 33,685 2,564 sq mi
(6,641 km2)		  
Logan County 113 Stapleton 1885 Unorganized territory John A. Logan, U.S. Army general 87 675 571 sq mi
(1,479 km2)		  
Loup County 115 Taylor 1883 Unorganized territory Loup River 88 599 570 sq mi
(1,476 km2)		  
Madison County 119 Madison 1856 Formed from Loup County, and McNeale County, and unorganized territory Either James Madison, fourth president of the United States, or local settlers' native Madison, Wisconsin 7 35,368 573 sq mi
(1,484 km2)		  
McPherson County 117 Tryon 1887 Unorganized territory James B. McPherson, U.S. Army general 90 372 859 sq mi
(2,225 km2)		  
Merrick County 121 Central City 1858 Formed from Polk County and unorganized territory Elvira Merrick, wife of legislator Henry W. DePuy 46 7,721 485 sq mi
(1,256 km2)		  
Morrill County 123 Bridgeport 1908 Formed from Cheyenne County Charles Henry Morrill, president of the Lincoln Land Company 64 4,527 1,424 sq mi
(3,688 km2)		  
Nance County 125 Fullerton 1879 Formed from a Pawnee Indian reservation Albinus Nance, fourth governor of Nebraska 58 3,326 441 sq mi
(1,142 km2)		  
Nemaha County 127 Auburn 1854 One of nine original counties Nimaha, the Otoe name meaning miry water for a local stream 44 7,035 409 sq mi
(1,059 km2)		  
Nuckolls County 129 Nelson 1860 Unorganized territory Lafayette Nuckolls, a member of the first Nebraska territorial legislature; and his brother, Stephen Nuckolls, a pioneering Nebraska settler, businessman and banker 42 4,041 575 sq mi
(1,489 km2)		  
Otoe County 131 Nebraska City 1854 One of nine original counties Oto (also Otoe) Native American tribe 11 16,198 616 sq mi
(1,595 km2)		  
Pawnee County 133 Pawnee City 1855 Formed from Richardson County Pawnee Native American tribe 54 2,528 432 sq mi
(1,119 km2)		  
Perkins County 135 Grant 1887 Formed from Keith County Charles E. Perkins, a president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad 74 2,829 883 sq mi
(2,287 km2)		  
Phelps County 137 Holdrege 1873 Formed from Kearney County William Phelps, an early settler[5] 37 8,988 540 sq mi
(1,399 km2)		  
Pierce County 139 Pierce 1856 Formed from Izard County, McNeale County, and unorganized territory Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States 40 7,332 574 sq mi
(1,487 km2)		  
Platte County 141 Columbus 1856 Formed from Greene and Loup Counties Platte River which is in turn named for the French word for flat 10 34,296 678 sq mi
(1,756 km2)		  
Polk County 143 Osceola 1856 Formed from York County and unorganized territory James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States 41 5,166 439 sq mi
(1,137 km2)		  
Red Willow County 145 McCook 1873 Unorganized territory Red Willow Creek, which runs through the area 48 10,573 717 sq mi
(1,857 km2)		  
Richardson County 147 Falls City 1854 One of nine original counties William A. Richardson, a governor of the Nebraska Territory 19 7,705 554 sq mi
(1,435 km2)		  
Rock County 149 Bassett 1885 Formed from Brown County Either Rock Creek, which flows in the county; or the rocky condition of the soil in the area 81 1,245 1,008 sq mi
(2,611 km2)		  
Saline County 151 Wilber 1867 Unorganized territory Named for a belief held by the early pioneers that great salt springs and deposits could be found in the area, a hope found to be false 22 14,116 575 sq mi
(1,489 km2)		  
Sarpy County 153 Papillion 1857 Formed from Cass and Douglas Counties Peter A. Sarpy, a commander of a trading post in the future county 59 196,553 241 sq mi
(624 km2)		  
Saunders County 155 Wahoo 1856 Formed from Douglas and Lancaster Counties Alvin Saunders, a governor of the Nebraska Territory 6 23,118 754 sq mi
(1,953 km2)		  
Scotts Bluff County 157 Gering 1888 Formed from Cheyenne County Named for a towering bluff located in the Scotts Bluff National Monument; the bluffs themselves are named for Hiram Scott, a fur trapper who is alleged to have crawled 75 miles with a broken leg before collapsing and dying at the foot of the formation 21 35,603 739 sq mi
(1,914 km2)		  
Seward County 159 Seward 1855 Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties William Henry Seward, the United States Secretary of State during the 1860s 16 17,692 575 sq mi
(1,489 km2)		  
Sheridan County 161 Rushville 1885 Formed from Sioux County Philip Henry Sheridan, a general in the American Civil War 61 4,996 2,441 sq mi
(6,322 km2)		  
Sherman County 163 Loup City 1871 Formed from Buffalo County and unorganized territory William Tecumseh Sherman, the American Civil War general 56 2,980 566 sq mi
(1,466 km2)		  
Sioux County 165 Harrison 1877 Unorganized territory Sioux Native American tribe 80 1,127 1,313 sq mi
(3,401 km2)		  
Stanton County 167 Stanton 1855 Formed from Burt County Edwin M. Stanton, the United States Secretary of War during most of the American Civil War 53 5,717 430 sq mi
(1,114 km2)		  
Thayer County 169 Hebron 1871 Formed from Jefferson County John Milton Thayer, the seventh governor of Nebraska 32 4,885 575 sq mi
(1,489 km2)		  
Thomas County 171 Thedford 1887 Unorganized territory George Henry Thomas, a general in the American Civil War 89 671 713 sq mi
(1,847 km2)		  
Thurston County 173 Pender 1889 Formed from Blackbird County and an Omaha Indian reservation John Mellen Thurston, a U. S. senator from Nebraska 55 6,507 394 sq mi
(1,020 km2)		  
Valley County 175 Ord 1871 Unorganized territory Named for the many valleys in the area 47 4,073 568 sq mi
(1,471 km2)		  
Washington County 177 Blair 1854 One of nine original counties George Washington, the first president of the United States 29 21,167 390 sq mi
(1,010 km2)		  
Wayne County 179 Wayne 1867 Unorganized territory Anthony Wayne, the American Revolutionary War general nicknamed "Mad Anthony" by his troops 27 9,871 444 sq mi
(1,150 km2)		  
Webster County 181 Red Cloud 1867 Unorganized territory Daniel Webster, the statesman and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts 45 3,336 575 sq mi
(1,489 km2)		  
Wheeler County 183 Bartlett 1877 Unorganized territory Daniel H. Wheeler, a secretary of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture 84 785 575 sq mi
(1,489 km2)		  
York County 185 York 1855 Formed from Cass County, Pierce County, and unorganized territory Named for either York, England, or York County, Pennsylvania 17 14,354 576 sq mi
(1,492 km2)		  

Former counties edit

  • Clay (1855-1864) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved into Gage and Lancaster County.
  • Jackson (1855-1856) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved to Fillmore County and unorganized territory
  • Johnson (1855-1856) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved to unorganized territory
  • Blackbird (1855-1888) Formed from Burt County and dissolved to Thurston County
  • Loup (1855-1856) Formed from Burt and Un-Organized and then dissolved Madison, Monroe and Platte Counties
  • Jones (1856-1866) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved into Jefferson County.
  • Grant, Harrison, Jackson, Lynn, Monroe and Taylor counties listed in 1870 - see map
  • West (1860-1862) Formed from unorganized territory and dissolved into Holt County

References edit

  1. ^ "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA.gov. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  2. ^ a b c National Association of Counties. "NACo County Explorer". Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  3. ^ The license plate prefix sequence is derived from the number of vehicles registered in each county in 1922.
  4. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Nebraska". Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  5. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). "Nebraska Place-Names". University of Nebraska Department of English. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_counties_in_Nebraska&oldid=1211276804"