Wayne County, Nebraska Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Wayne County is located in Nebraska with a total population of 9,786. It is the 27th most populous county out of 93 in Nebraska. The county encompasses 6 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Wayne County is 31.6 years. This is 15% lower than the state median of 37.1 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Wayne County is $67,687. This is 10% lower than the state median of $74,985. It is also 14% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 13.2%. This is 28% higher than the state poverty rate of 10.3%. The unemployment rate is 3.5%. This is 15% higher than the state rate of 3.0%. The median home value is $203,700. Housing costs are 9% lower than the state median of $223,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 68.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 2% higher than the state average of 66.5%.

Race & Ethnicity

Wayne County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 85.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 10.1%. The Black or African American population (1.0%) is well below the state average of 4.6%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 2.5%.

Education

29.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 14% 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 95.1%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Wayne 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.