Kearney County, Nebraska Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Kearney County is located in Nebraska with a total population of 6,697. It is the 43rd most populous county out of 93 in Nebraska. The county encompasses 5 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Kearney County is 40.3 years. This is 9% higher than the state median of 37.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Kearney County is $79,167. This is 6% higher than the state median of $74,985. It is also about the same as the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 6.7%. This is 35% lower than the state poverty rate of 10.3%. The unemployment rate is 1.4%. This is 53% lower than the state rate of 3.0%. The median home value is $218,300. Housing costs are 2% lower than the state median of $223,800. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.8x, Kearney County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 78.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 18% higher than the state average of 66.5%.

Race & Ethnicity

Kearney County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 91.3% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 6.5%. The Black or African American population (0.0%) is well below the state average of 4.6%. The Asian population (0.6%) is well below the state average of 2.5%.

Education

32.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Kearney County in the top 10% of all counties in the state for educational attainment. This is 4% lower than the state rate of 34.1%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 94.0%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Kearney County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Nebraska and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.