• county
  • FIPS 31099
  • Largest town: Minden

Kearney County, Nebraska

Kearney County had 6,749 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 516.2 square miles of land. It ranks 42nd of 93 in Nebraska by population and 75th by land area.

Population
6,749
#42 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,674 in US
Area
516.2 sq mi
#75 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,021 in US
Density
13 / sq mi
#35 of 93 in Nebraska · #2,454 in US
Median household income
$77,458
#11 of 93 in Nebraska · #562 in US

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

Kearney County within Nebraska. Pin: Lincoln.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Kearney County

Kearney County population, land area and income

Kearney County had 6,749 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 516.2 square miles of land. It ranks 42nd of 93 in Nebraska by population and 75th by land area. That works out to 13.1 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; Kearney County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $77,458 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

6,749

3144th1st

2674th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

516 sq mi

3144th1st

2021st of 3,144 (US)

Density

13.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

2454th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$77,458

3143rd1st

562nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Nebraska (93)

Population

6,749

93rd1st

42nd of 93 (NE)

Land area

516 sq mi

93rd1st

75th of 93 (NE)

Density

13.1 / sq mi

93rd1st

35th of 93 (NE)

Median household income

$77,458

93rd1st

11th of 93 (NE)

How Kearney County's population changed since 2020

Kearney County gained 57 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.9%. That ranks 29th 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, Kearney County recorded 324 births and 313 deaths, a natural change of +11. Net international migration added +37 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +14. The largest single component was international migration, which added 37 people.

6,69220206,68920216,70820226,72720236,7492024
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
324
Deaths
313
Net international migration
+37
Net domestic migration
+14
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+22

Where Kearney County is

The Census internal point of Kearney County is at 40.509100, -98.947600. 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 Kearney 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: Kearney County internal point. Dark pin: Lincoln.

Internal point

Decimal
40.509100, -98.947600
DMS
40°30'32.76"N 98°56'51.36"W
UTM
14N 504439.5E 4484266.1N
Geohash
9z1wkqkw9
Plus code
86G3G352+JX

Towns in Kearney County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Kearney County, 3,116 people together, or 46% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Kearney County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Minden with 3,116.

  1. 01Minden3,116
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Kearney County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Kearney County. The most populous is Buffalo County, NE, with 51,156 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lincoln and the nearest big city

Lincoln is 119.6 miles E of Kearney County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lincoln, NE (population 300,619), 120.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Kearney, NE (population 34,741), 15.0 miles away.

Kearney County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Kearney County is 31099: state code 31 for Nebraska plus county code 099. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $77,458.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Kearney County, Nebraska?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 6,749. That is up 57 people (0.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 6,692.

What is the FIPS code of Kearney County?

31099. The first two digits (31) are Nebraska; the last three (099) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Kearney County?

Minden, with 3,116 residents inside Kearney County in 2024.

Which counties border Kearney County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Buffalo County, NE; Adams County, NE; Phelps County, NE; Webster County, NE; Harlan 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.