Furnas County, Nebraska
Furnas County, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
Furnas County Courthouse in Beaver City | |
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska | |
| Coordinates: 40°10′N 99°55′W / 40.17°N 99.91°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Named after | Robert W. Furnas |
| Seat | Beaver City |
| Largest city | Cambridge |
| Area | |
• Total | 721 sq mi (1,870 km2) |
| • Land | 719 sq mi (1,860 km2) |
| • Water | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) 0.2% |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2021) | 4,636 |
| • Density | 6.6/sq mi (2.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Furnas County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 4,636.[1] Its county seat is Beaver City.[2] The county was named for Robert Wilkinson Furnas, the second governor of the state of Nebraska.[3]
In the Nebraska license plate system, Furnas County is represented by the prefix 38 (it had the thirty-eighth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Geography
Furnas County lies on the south line of Nebraska. The south boundary line of Furnas County abuts the north boundary line of the state of Kansas. The Republican River flows eastward across the upper central part of the county.
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 721 square miles (1,870 km2), of which 719 square miles (1,860 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Harlan County – east
- Norton County, Kansas – south
- Decatur County, Kansas – southwest
- Red Willow County – west
- Frontier County – northwest
- Gosper County – north
- Phelps County – northeast
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 6,407 | — | |
| 1890 | 9,840 | 53.6% | |
| 1900 | 12,373 | 25.7% | |
| 1910 | 12,083 | −2.3% | |
| 1920 | 11,657 | −3.5% | |
| 1930 | 12,140 | 4.1% | |
| 1940 | 10,098 | −16.8% | |
| 1950 | 9,385 | −7.1% | |
| 1960 | 7,711 | −17.8% | |
| 1970 | 6,897 | −10.6% | |
| 1980 | 6,486 | −6.0% | |
| 1990 | 5,553 | −14.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,324 | −4.1% | |
| 2010 | 4,959 | −6.9% | |
| 2020 | 4,636 | −6.5% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 4,604 | [1] | −0.7% |
| US Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[9] | |||
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,636. The median age was 46.3 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.7 males age 18 and over.[10][11]
The racial makeup of the county was 92.6% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.7% of the population.[11]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[12]
There were 2,049 households in the county, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]
There were 2,518 housing units, of which 18.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.2% were owner-occupied and 26.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.3%.[10]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census,[13] there were 5,324 people, 2,278 households, and 1,489 families in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km2). There were 2,730 housing units at an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.22% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.6% were of German, 13.8% American, 11.4% English, 7.4% Irish and 5.2% Swedish ancestry.
There were 2,278 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.60% were non-families. 32.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.
The county population contained 24.10% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,498, and the median income for a family was $37,000. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $19,918 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,223. About 6.90% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
- Arapahoe
- Beaver City (county seat)
- Cambridge
Villages
- Edison
- Hendley
- Holbrook
- Oxford (partial)
- Wilsonville
Unincorporated communities
Politics
Furnas County voters have been strongly Republican since its beginning. In only one national election since 1916 the county been carried by a Democratic Party presidential candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | % | № | % | № | % | |
| 1900 | 1,321 | 48.85% | 1,319 | 48.78% | 64 | 2.37% |
| 1904 | 1,569 | 61.72% | 393 | 15.46% | 580 | 22.82% |
| 1908 | 1,400 | 44.80% | 1,618 | 51.78% | 107 | 3.42% |
| 1912 | 354 | 13.79% | 1,266 | 49.32% | 947 | 36.89% |
| 1916 | 1,163 | 40.45% | 1,607 | 55.90% | 105 | 3.65% |
| 1920 | 2,445 | 60.53% | 1,371 | 33.94% | 223 | 5.52% |
| 1924 | 2,378 | 50.30% | 1,534 | 32.45% | 816 | 17.26% |
| 1928 | 3,760 | 73.17% | 1,339 | 26.06% | 40 | 0.78% |
| 1932 | 2,087 | 38.10% | 3,303 | 60.31% | 87 | 1.59% |
| 1936 | 2,842 | 52.40% | 2,482 | 45.76% | 100 | 1.84% |
| 1940 | 3,316 | 64.85% | 1,797 | 35.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 2,870 | 68.35% | 1,329 | 31.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 2,258 | 60.18% | 1,494 | 39.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 3,464 | 77.29% | 1,018 | 22.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,894 | 72.26% | 1,111 | 27.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,854 | 72.34% | 1,091 | 27.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,011 | 54.65% | 1,669 | 45.35% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,137 | 69.81% | 701 | 22.90% | 223 | 7.29% |
| 1972 | 2,282 | 77.15% | 676 | 22.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,851 | 60.21% | 1,132 | 36.82% | 91 | 2.96% |
| 1980 | 2,483 | 78.28% | 536 | 16.90% | 153 | 4.82% |
| 1984 | 2,363 | 79.67% | 579 | 19.52% | 24 | 0.81% |
| 1988 | 1,830 | 69.19% | 791 | 29.91% | 24 | 0.91% |
| 1992 | 1,365 | 48.73% | 624 | 22.28% | 812 | 28.99% |
| 1996 | 1,475 | 61.18% | 663 | 27.50% | 273 | 11.32% |
| 2000 | 1,849 | 76.06% | 534 | 21.97% | 48 | 1.97% |
| 2004 | 1,950 | 79.04% | 492 | 19.94% | 25 | 1.01% |
| 2008 | 1,725 | 74.10% | 556 | 23.88% | 47 | 2.02% |
| 2012 | 1,782 | 79.55% | 423 | 18.88% | 35 | 1.56% |
| 2016 | 1,921 | 82.09% | 304 | 12.99% | 115 | 4.91% |
| 2020 | 2,163 | 83.13% | 399 | 15.33% | 40 | 1.54% |
| 2024 | 2,043 | 84.46% | 358 | 14.80% | 18 | 0.74% |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Furnas County NE
- Medicine Creek (Republican River tributary)
References
- ^ a b "County Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 133.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Election Results