Lincoln County, Nebraska

County in NE, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

33,802

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

42.4

years ∙ half population younger than 42.4, half older

Diversity Index

25.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.8%

foreign-born population

97.2%Native

2.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Lincoln County is a county in Nebraska, United States.

Location

County in NE, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.050322° N, 100.744481° W

DMS41° 03′ 01.16″ N, 100° 44′ 40.13″ W

Population Density & area

13.18/sq mi (5.09/km²)

Total Area

2,575 sq mi (6,669 km²)

Land Area

2,564 sq mi (6,641 km²) · 99.57%

Water Area

11 sq mi (28 km²) · 0.43%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50% male

Male 50%

Female 50%

males per 100 females

Lincoln County 100

Nebraska 101

United States 98

Nativity

2.8%

foreign-born population

97.2%Native

2.8% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Lincoln County 2.8%

Nebraska 8%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

42.4

years ∙ half population younger than 42.4, half older

Lincoln County

42.4

Nebraska

37.2

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

78.5

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Lincoln County 78.5

Nebraska 70.1

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.9%	24.5%	22%
Working age (18-64)	56%	58.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	21.1%	16.7%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	78.5	70.1	64.4
Child dependency ratio	40.9	41.7	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	37.6	28.4	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

86%

Black

0.8%

Asian

0.7%

Hispanic

9.3%

Other

3.2%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

25.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Lincoln County 25.1%

Nebraska 41.3%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Lincoln County population

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Hispanic or Latino	9.3%	12.7%	19.3%
Mexican	8.2%	8.7%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.4%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1%	3.3%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	90.7%	87.3%	80.7%
One race	88.4%	83.5%	76.4%
White	86%	75.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.8%	4.6%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.6%	0.6%	0.5%
Asian	0.7%	2.6%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.4%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.3%	3.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

59.2% family

Family 59.2%

Non family 40.8%

% family households

Lincoln County 59.2%

Nebraska 62.7%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.23

persons per household

Lincoln County

2.23

Nebraska

2.42

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Lincoln County population

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Total households	14,890	797,847	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.23	2.42	2.53
Family households	8,812	500,016	82,990,528
Average family size	2.84	3.05	3.14
Married couple family	6,627	389,247	60,637,388
Other families	2,185	110,769	22,353,140
Male householder	492	35,772	6,572,819
Female householder	1,693	74,997	15,780,321
Non-family households	6,078	297,831	46,236,968
One-person households	5,108	244,781	37,140,836
Male householder	2,626	116,731	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	918	33,618	5,225,110
Female householder	2,482	128,050	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	1,627	64,330	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	970	53,050	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

16,624

housing units

Lincoln County 16,624

Nebraska 863,444

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

89.6% occupied

Occupied 89.6%

Vacant 10.4%

vacancy rate

Lincoln County 10.4%

Nebraska 7.6%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

77.6%

Single family houses

77.6%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

15%

Mobile homes

7.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1971

Half of houses were built before 1971, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

19.5%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

30.2%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

37.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

12.4%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.9	6.1	5.5
1–3 rooms	10.4%	13.2%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	49.3%	43.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	40.3%	43.2%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.8%	2.5%	2.9%
1 bedroom	8.1%	10.8%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	29.3%	25%	25%
3 bedrooms	38.1%	35.6%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	21.7%	26.2%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1971	1976	1981
Total housing units	16,624	863,444	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

65.6% owners

Renter-occupied 34.4%

Owner-occupied 65.6%

homeownership rate

Lincoln County 65.6%

Nebraska 66.5%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.3

Owner-occupied

2.08

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Lincoln County 2.3

Nebraska 2.6

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Total occupied units	14,890	797,847	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	23.4%	25.8%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	38.6%	39.4%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.3%	15.9%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	21.7%	18.9%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99%	97.9%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.6%	1.5%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.4%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.1%	5.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	32.2%	30.1%	33.1%
2 vehicles	33.3%	37.7%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	30.5%	26.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	70.9%	66.2%	51.4%
Electricity	27%	31.5%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.2%	0.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	1.7%	1.4%	2%
No fuel used	0.2%	0.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.7%	1%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.1%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$189,500

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Lincoln County

$189,500

Nebraska

$238,600

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

22.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

22.6%

Owners without a mortgage

17.1%

Renters

44.1%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Property value
Median Value	$189,500	$238,600	$332,700
Under $100,000	20.2%	14%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	33.8%	24.2%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	24.7%	27.2%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	16.9%	25.1%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	3.9%	8.2%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.6%	1.3%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	54.3%	58.5%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	45.7%	41.5%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,504	$1,736	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$609	$677	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$900	$1,072	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

22.7%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Lincoln County 22.7%

Nebraska 34.6%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.8%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Lincoln County 5.8%

Nebraska 7.8%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

7,797

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

6.8%

K–12

75.1%

College / Undergraduate

15.1%

Graduate / Professional

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

28.9%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Lincoln County

28.9%

Nebraska

42%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	7,797	516,339	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	6.8%	6.3%	5.7%
K–12	75.1%	68.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.2%	4.8%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	20.7%	20.5%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	23.3%	21.4%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	25.9%	21.7%	21.7%
College or graduate school	18.1%	25.3%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	15.1%	19.2%	21%
Graduate, professional school	3%	6.1%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	28.9%	42%	40.9%
School type
Public school	88.5%	82.7%	82%
Private school	11.5%	17.3%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

23,546

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

3.7%

HS graduate

30.7%

Some college no degree

26.8%

Associates degree

14.1%

Bachelors degree

15.4%

Graduate or professional degree

7.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

65.4% · 34.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

54.1% · 45.9%

HS graduate

51.2% · 48.8%

Some college no degree

49.2% · 50.8%

Associates degree

47.4% · 52.6%

Bachelors degree

49.3% · 50.7%

Graduate or professional degree

32.4% · 67.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Population (25+)	23,546	1,300,410	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2.1%	3.8%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	3.7%	4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	30.7%	25%	26%
Some college, no degree	26.8%	21.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	14.1%	11%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.7%	34.6%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	15.4%	22.3%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	7.3%	12.3%	14.1%
High School or higher	94.2%	92.2%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$45,706

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$35,189

HS graduate

$37,314

Some college or associates

$45,232

Bachelors degree

$56,607

Graduate or professional degree

$81,019

Poverty Rate

2.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

36.3%

HS graduate

13.7%

Some college or associates

9.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

2.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Lincoln County	Nebraska	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$45,706	$51,569	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$35,189	$37,277	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$37,314	$40,830	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$45,232	$47,062	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$56,607	$62,298	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$81,019	$78,244	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	36.3%	22.1%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	13.7%	12.8%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9.4%	8%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.3%	3.8%	4.5%

Insights for Lincoln County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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