• county
  • FIPS 31083
  • Largest town: Alma

Harlan County, Nebraska

Harlan County had 3,018 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 553.5 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 68th by land area.

Population
3,018
#65 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,955 in US
Area
553.5 sq mi
#68 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,882 in US
Density
5.5 / sq mi
#59 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,749 in US
Median household income
$63,159
#53 of 93 in Nebraska · #1,546 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Harlan County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Harlan County

Harlan County population, land area and income

Harlan County had 3,018 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 553.5 square miles of land. It ranks 65th of 93 in Nebraska by population and 68th by land area. That works out to 5.5 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Nebraska has 6,103 residents, so Harlan County has 49% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $63,159 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

3,018

3144th1st

2955th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

553 sq mi

3144th1st

1882nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

5.5 / sq mi

3144th1st

2749th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$63,159

3143rd1st

1546th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

3,018

93rd1st

65th of 93 (NE)

Land area

553 sq mi

93rd1st

68th of 93 (NE)

Density

5.5 / sq mi

93rd1st

59th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$63,159

93rd1st

53rd of 93 (NE)

How Harlan County's population changed since 2020

Harlan County lost 36 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.2%. That ranks 58th of 93 in Nebraska for growth. The median Nebraska county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +2.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Harlan County recorded 134 births and 219 deaths, a natural change of -85. Net international migration added +19 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +14. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 85 people.

3,05420203,09520213,02320223,04620233,0182024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
134
Deaths
219
Net international migration
+19
Net domestic migration
+14
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-28

Where Harlan County is

The Census internal point of Harlan County is at 40.178800, -99.403400. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Nebraska's 93 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Harlan County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

York County: +1.9%Boone County: -0.1%Grant County: -7.0%Saline County: +0.2%Adams County: +0.1%Clay County: -0.1%Logan County: -3.3%Hamilton County: +1.7%Thomas County: -5.9%Lancaster County: +3.0%Sherman County: -0.1%Lincoln County: -3.5%Stanton County: -1.1%Dawes County: -1.9%Madison County: +0.1%Perkins County: -2.9%Arthur County: -2.1%Deuel County: +3.2%Banner County: -1.9%Dundy County: -4.2%Garfield County: -5.4%Wheeler County: +4.3%Seward County: +0.9%Johnson County: -1.4%Wayne County: +1.7%Hayes County: -0.4%Gosper County: -4.6%Blaine County: +6.1%Valley County: -0.6%Keith County: -2.1%Antelope County: +1.3%Hooker County: -1.3%Hitchcock County: -6.1%Box Butte County: -1.1%Morrill County: -1.6%Chase County: -3.2%Howard County: +1.3%Holt County: +0.1%Phelps County: +0.7%Cuming County: -0.7%Jefferson County: -1.7%Garden County: -4.5%Dodge County: +2.1%Buffalo County: +1.9%Butler County: +1.0%Fillmore County: -1.0%Boyd County: -5.7%Nuckolls County: +0.1%Loup County: -3.8%Sioux County: -3.7%Thayer County: -3.1%Cheyenne County: +1.2%Rock County: -1.9%Nance County: -3.9%Greeley County: +0.8%Hall County: +0.1%Brown County: -0.9%Dakota County: -1.0%Kearney County: +0.9%Webster County: -1.9%Nemaha County: -0.6%Franklin County: -2.5%Furnas County: -3.5%Sarpy County: +7.1%Platte County: +3.5%Kimball County: -3.0%Polk County: +1.0%Dixon County: -1.1%Knox County: -1.0%Thurston County: -1.8%Douglas County: +2.7%Scotts Bluff County: -0.9%Pierce County: -0.1%Burt County: +0.0%Merrick County: +2.3%Sheridan County: -3.5%Washington County: +1.6%Frontier County: +1.3%Colfax County: +2.6%Cass County: +3.3%Pawnee County: -0.8%Richardson County: -2.5%Cedar County: -1.3%Gage County: +0.2%Dawson County: +2.0%Keya Paha County: +7.8%Cherry County: +1.9%McPherson County: -5.1%Otoe County: +4.3%Red Willow County: -2.6%Custer County: -0.0%Harlan County: -1.2%Saunders County: +4.6%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -3.0%
  2. < -1.1%
  3. < +0.1%
  4. < +1.7%
  5. ≥ +1.7%
no data

Orange pin: Harlan County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
40.178800, -99.403400
DMS
40°10'43.68"N 99°24'12.24"W
UTM
14N 465655.8E 4447680.6N
Geohash
9z1kd42dk
Plus code
86G25HHW+GJ

Towns in Harlan County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Harlan County, 1,011 people together, or 33% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Harlan County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Alma with 1,011.

  1. 01Alma1,011
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Harlan County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Harlan County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Phelps County, NE, with 9,042 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 148.5 miles ENE of Harlan County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lincoln, NE (population 300,619), 149.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Kearney, NE (population 34,741), 39.9 miles away.

Harlan County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Harlan County is 31083: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 083. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $63,159.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Harlan County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 3,018. That is down 36 people (1.2%) from the July 2020 estimate of 3,054.

What is the FIPS code of Harlan County?

31083. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (083) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Harlan County?

Alma, with 1,011 residents inside Harlan County in 2024.

Which counties border Harlan County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Phelps County, NE; Kearney County, NE; Norton County, KS; Phillips County, KS; Furnas County, NE; Franklin County, NE.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.