Pender, NE

Village in Thurston County, NE, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

1,379

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

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 36, half older

Diversity Index

30.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

98%Native

2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Pender is a village within Thurston County, Nebraska, United States.

Location

Village in Thurston County, NE, US

Co-ordinates

DEC42.110646° N, 96.711619° W

DMS42° 06′ 38.33″ N, 96° 42′ 41.83″ W

Population Density & area

1,967/sq mi (759.8/km²)

Total Area

0.701 sq mi (1.815 km²)

Land Area

0.701 sq mi (1.815 km²) · 100%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.4% male

Male 48.4%

Female 51.6%

males per 100 females

Pender 94

Thurston County 97.3

Nebraska 101

Nativity

foreign-born population

98%Native

2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Pender 2%

Thurston County 1.8%

Nebraska 8%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 36, half older

Pender

Thurston County

29.2

Nebraska

37.2

Dependency ratio

83.4

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Pender 83.4

Thurston County 88.3

Nebraska 70.1

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	27.8%	34.3%	24.5%
Working age (18-64)	54.5%	53.1%	58.8%
Senior (65+)	17.7%	12.6%	16.7%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	83.4	88.3	70.1
Child dependency ratio	50.9	64.6	41.7
Old-age dependency ratio	32.4	23.7	28.4

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

82.7%

Black

0.4%

Asian

0.9%

Hispanic

8.4%

Other

7.6%

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

30.5%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Pender 30.5%

Thurston County 57.7%

Nebraska 41.3%

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 Pender population

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Hispanic or Latino	8.4%	4.9%	12.7%
Mexican	7.3%	3.8%	8.7%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Cuban	0%	0.4%	0.4%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.2%	0.6%	3.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino	91.6%	95.1%	87.3%
One race	86%	91.6%	83.5%
White	82.7%	36.2%	75.3%
Black or African American	0.4%	0.3%	4.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native	2%	53.7%	0.6%
Asian	0.9%	1.4%	2.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Some Other Race	0%	0.1%	0.4%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	5.6%	3.5%	3.8%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

69.9% family

Family 69.9%

Non family 30.1%

% family households

Pender 69.9%

Thurston County 71%

Nebraska 62.7%

Average household size

2.87

persons per household

Pender

2.87

Thurston County

3.27

Nebraska

2.42

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Pender population

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Total households	465	1,990	797,847
Average houshold size	2.87	3.27	2.42
Family households	325	1,413	500,016
Average family size	3.54	3.97	3.05
Married couple family	297	952	389,247
Other families	28	461	110,769
Male householder	14	142	35,772
Female householder	14	319	74,997
Non-family households	140	577	297,831
One-person households	133	543	244,781
Male householder	42	229	116,731
Senior (65+) living alone	7	59	33,618
Female householder	91	314	128,050
Senior (65+) living alone	37	105	64,330
Other living arrangements	7	34	53,050

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

496

housing units

Pender 496

Thurston County 2,290

Nebraska 863,444

Occupancy status

93.8% occupied

Occupied 93.8%

Vacant 6.3%

vacancy rate

Pender 6.3%

Thurston County 13.1%

Nebraska 7.6%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

88.5%

Single family houses

88.5%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

10.9%

Mobile homes

0.6%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1956

Half of houses were built before 1956, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

32.7%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

30.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

27%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.4%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.6	5.4	6.1
1–3 rooms	7%	11.6%	13.2%
4–6 rooms	41.3%	58.5%	43.4%
7+ rooms	51.6%	29.8%	43.2%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	1.7%	2.5%
1 bedroom	6.5%	5.5%	10.8%
2 bedrooms	29%	30.9%	25%
3 bedrooms	40.9%	41.5%	35.6%
4+ bedrooms	23.5%	20.3%	26.2%
At a glance
Median year built	1956	1971	1976
Total housing units	496	2,290	863,444

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

78.7% owners

Renter-occupied 21.3%

Owner-occupied 78.7%

homeownership rate

Pender 78.7%

Thurston County 61%

Nebraska 66.5%

Average household size

3.09

Owner-occupied

2.07

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Pender 3.09

Thurston County 3.3

Nebraska 2.6

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Total occupied units	465	1,990	797,847
Year moved in
2020 or later	16%	17.7%	25.8%
2010 to 2019	47.3%	42.3%	39.4%
2000 to 2009	15.9%	16.6%	15.9%
1999 or earlier	20.9%	23.4%	18.9%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.4%	90.7%	97.9%
1.01 to 1.50	0.6%	5.8%	1.5%
1.51 or more	0%	3.5%	0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	0.6%	5.4%	5.4%
1 vehicle	25.8%	26.1%	30.1%
2 vehicles	38.9%	39.8%	37.7%
3 or more vehicles	34.6%	28.6%	26.8%
House heating fuel used
Gas	80.2%	62.3%	66.2%
Electricity	19.1%	28.3%	31.5%
Solar	0%	0%	0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	6.6%	0.3%
All other fuels	0.6%	2.8%	1.4%
No fuel used	0%	0%	0.4%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.3%	1%
No telephone service available	0.9%	1.4%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$175,000

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Pender

$175,000

Thurston County

$114,600

Nebraska

$238,600

Housing Cost Burden

10.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

10.3%

Owners without a mortgage

10.8%

Renters

33.8%

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

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Property value
Median Value	$175,000	$114,600	$238,600
Under $100,000	25.4%	44%	14%
$100,000 - $200,000	28.5%	22.7%	24.2%
$200,000 - $300,000	21.6%	14.8%	27.2%
$300,000 - $500,000	16.4%	12.6%	25.1%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	8.2%	5.5%	8.2%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	0.2%	1.3%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	42.1%	35.5%	58.5%
Without a mortgage	57.9%	64.5%	41.5%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,395	$1,370	$1,736
Without a mortgage	$591	$499	$677
Gross rent
Median rent	$875	$699	$1,072

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

31.5%

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

Pender 31.5%

Thurston County 22.2%

Nebraska 34.6%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.2%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Pender 4.2%

Thurston County 6.1%

Nebraska 7.8%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

429

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

13.5%

K–12

58.3%

College / Undergraduate

22.1%

Graduate / Professional

6.1%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

64.9%

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

Pender

64.9%

Thurston County

31.6%

Nebraska

42%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Total enrolled (age 3+)	429	2,304	516,339
Nursery / preschool	13.5%	12.8%	6.3%
K–12	58.3%	71.7%	68.4%
Kindergarten	7.7%	6.3%	4.8%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	16.6%	19.6%	20.5%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	15.9%	21.1%	21.4%
High School: Grades 9–12	18.2%	24.7%	21.7%
College or graduate school	28.2%	15.4%	25.3%
College, undergraduate	22.1%	12.2%	19.2%
Graduate, professional school	6.1%	3.2%	6.1%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	64.9%	31.6%	42%
School type
Public school	99.8%	94.7%	82.7%
Private school	0.2%	5.3%	17.3%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

848

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

2.7%

HS graduate

30.3%

Some college no degree

18.2%

Associates degree

15.8%

Bachelors degree

21.2%

Graduate or professional degree

10.3%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

46.2% · 53.8%

9th-12th, no diploma

65.2% · 34.8%

HS graduate

53.3% · 46.7%

Some college no degree

64.9% · 35.1%

Associates degree

42.5% · 57.5%

Bachelors degree

40% · 60%

Graduate or professional degree

37.9% · 62.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Population (25+)	848	3,661	1,300,410
Less than 9th grade	1.5%	1.8%	3.8%
9th–12th, no diploma	2.7%	4.3%	4%
High school diploma or GED	30.3%	34.4%	25%
Some college, no degree	18.2%	22.8%	21.6%
Associate's degree	15.8%	14.5%	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.5%	22.2%	34.6%
Bachelor's degree	21.2%	15.5%	22.3%
Graduate or professional	10.3%	6.7%	12.3%
High School or higher	95.8%	93.9%	92.2%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$45,326

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$59,063

HS graduate

$38,594

Some college or associates

$44,500

Bachelors degree

$47,813

Graduate or professional degree

$74,167

Poverty Rate

1.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

13.3%

HS graduate

5.7%

Some college or associates

1.1%

Bachelors degree or higher

1.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Pender	Thurston County	Nebraska
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$45,326	$44,951	$51,569
Less than high school graduate	$59,063	$30,469	$37,277
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$38,594	$37,422	$40,830
Some college or associate's degree	$44,500	$45,742	$47,062
Bachelor's degree	$47,813	$48,092	$62,298
Graduate or professional degree	$74,167	$71,607	$78,244
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	13.3%	40.3%	22.1%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	5.7%	12.4%	12.8%
Some college or associate's degree	1.1%	8.2%	8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	1.5%	4.9%	3.8%

Insights for Pender, 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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