Scotch-Irish Population in Nebraska by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, Nebraska is home to 13,194 Scotch-Irish residents. Douglas County contains the largest Scotch-Irish community with 3,502 individuals, followed by Lancaster County (2,177), Sarpy County (1,847), and several other counties contributing to this statewide total. The remaining difference may reflect Scotch-Irish populations in lower-population counties not listed above or minor reporting adjustments in the census data. This demographic breakdown ranks all counties in Nebraska by their Scotch-Irish population, offering insights into community patterns across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest Scotch-Irish population in Nebraska

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  • 1
    Douglas County
    Scotch-Irish population in Douglas County is 3,502
    0.60% of Douglas County population is Scotch-Irish
  • 2
    Lancaster County
    Scotch-Irish population in Lancaster County is 2,177
    0.67% of Lancaster County population is Scotch-Irish
  • 3
    Sarpy County
    Scotch-Irish population in Sarpy County is 1,847
    0.95% of Sarpy County population is Scotch-Irish
  • 4
    Hall County
    Scotch-Irish population in Hall County is 412
    0.66% of Hall County population is Scotch-Irish
  • 5
    Scotts Bluff County
    Scotch-Irish population in Scotts Bluff County is 346
    0.96% of Scotts Bluff County population is Scotch-Irish

Overview of Scotch-Irish population in Nebraska

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Nebraska contains 13,194 Scotch-Irish residents (0.67% of 2.0 million total state population), positioning the state at the 16th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Scotch-Irish population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Nebraska's Scotch-Irish demographic representation of 0.67% remains below the national average of 0.79%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Nebraska contains 13,194 Scotch-Irish residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Scotch-Irish population of 2.6 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Nebraska with 0.17 Scotch-Irish Americans per square mile, below the national average of 0.74 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with below-average demographic concentrations nationally.
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91 Counties in Nebraska Ranked by Scotch-Irish Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Scotch-Irish population in Nebraska distributed across multiple counties, led by Douglas County, Lancaster County, Sarpy County, and Hall County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as American descendants of Ulster Scots. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Nebraska ranked by Scotch-Irish population count
Rank by Scotch-Irish Population
County
Scotch-Irish Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Nebraska Scotch-Irish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Douglas County 3,502 0.60% 26.54%
2 Lancaster County 2,177 0.67% 16.50%
3 Sarpy County 1,847 0.95% 14.00%
4 Hall County 412 0.66% 3.12%
5 Scotts Bluff County 346 0.96% 2.62%
6 Buffalo County 325 0.65% 2.46%
7 Gage County 296 1.37% 2.24%
8 249 0.73% 1.89%
9 238 0.88% 1.80%
10 232 0.75% 1.76%
11 198 1.23% 1.50%
12 194 0.92% 1.47%
13 156 0.69% 1.18%
14 140 0.58% 1.06%
15 136 0.77% 1.03%
16 128 0.36% 0.97%
17 127 0.34% 0.96%
18 120 1.27% 0.91%
19 119 1.45% 0.90%
20 115 1.09% 0.87%
21 103 0.72% 0.78%
22 96 2.87% 0.73%
23 91 0.43% 0.69%
24 81 0.80% 0.61%
24 81 0.97% 0.61%
25 65 0.79% 0.49%
26 64 1.15% 0.49%
27 62 1.11% 0.47%
28 60 0.78% 0.45%
29 59 1.17% 0.45%
29 59 1.19% 0.45%
30 58 0.82% 0.44%
30 58 0.74% 0.44%
31 52 1.13% 0.39%
31 52 0.15% 0.39%
32 50 0.47% 0.38%
33 49 0.58% 0.37%
34 48 0.71% 0.36%
35 44 0.62% 0.33%
35 44 0.60% 0.33%
36 43 0.40% 0.33%
37 40 0.66% 0.30%
37 40 0.98% 0.30%
38 39 0.75% 0.30%
39 37 0.81% 0.28%
40 35 0.65% 0.27%
40 35 0.54% 0.27%
41 33 0.49% 0.25%
42 31 0.37% 0.24%
42 31 0.33% 0.24%
42 31 0.35% 0.24%
43 29 7.53% 0.22%
44 28 0.53% 0.21%
45 26 1.01% 0.20%
45 26 0.87% 0.20%
46 24 0.41% 0.18%
47 21 0.63% 0.16%
47 21 0.83% 0.16%
48 19 1.17% 0.14%
49 18 0.12% 0.14%
50 17 0.27% 0.13%
50 17 0.65% 0.13%
51 16 0.39% 0.12%
51 16 0.47% 0.12%
52 14 0.16% 0.11%
53 13 0.45% 0.10%
53 13 0.43% 0.10%
53 13 0.46% 0.10%
54 12 2.22% 0.09%
54 12 1.48% 0.09%
55 11 0.17% 0.08%
56 9 0.16% 0.07%
56 9 1.60% 0.07%
56 9 0.09% 0.07%
57 8 1.31% 0.06%
58 7 0.26% 0.05%
58 7 0.38% 0.05%
58 7 0.82% 0.05%
59 6 0.06% 0.05%
59 6 0.86% 0.05%
60 5 0.80% 0.04%
61 3 0.32% 0.02%
61 3 0.38% 0.02%
62 2 0.12% 0.02%
62 2 0.11% 0.02%
62 2 0.10% 0.02%
62 2 0.17% 0.02%
63 1 0.07% 0.01%
64 0 - -
64 0 - -
64 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in Nebraska by their Scotch-Irish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Scotch-Irish population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Scotch-Irish ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Scotch-Irish alone, while others identify as Scotch-Irish along with another race (such as Scotch-Irish and German).
  • We’ve used the “Scotch-Irish alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Scotch-Irish population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Scotch-Irish alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Scotch-Irish .
  2. % of Total Nebraska Scotch-Irish Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Scotch-Irish population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Scotch-Irish populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Scotch-Irish population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Scotch-Irish populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.