Pawnee County, Nebraska

NE · FIPS 31133 Republican

Located in Nebraska, Pawnee County has a population of 2,530 residents and a median age of 44.9 years, making it the #3,072 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 13.5%. The median home value is $79,400, and the median household income is $62,188, which is 17% below the national median.

2,530
Population
#3,072 of 3,222
$62,188
Median Income
-17.2% #1,879 of 3,222
44.9 years
Median Age
+15.4% #759 of 3,222
13.5%
Poverty Rate
+7.5% #1,654 of 3,222

Demographics

Pawnee County has a population of 2,530, making it the #3,072 most populous county in the US. The median age is 44.9 years, which is 15.4% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.1%
Native Born
0.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Pawnee County is $62,188, ranking #1,879 out of 3,222 counties — 17.2% below the national median. The poverty rate is 13.5% and unemployment stands at 2.2%.

Income#1,879
$62,188
-17.2%
vs nation
42th percentile
Per Capita#2,138
$31,792
-22.9%
vs nation
34th percentile
Poverty#1,654
13.5%
+7.5%
vs nation
49th percentile
Unemployment#351
2.2%
-57.9%
vs nation
89th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Pawnee County is $79,400 (-71.8% vs national). Renters pay a median of $706/mo and the homeownership rate is 80.2%.

Home Value#3,171
$79,400
-71.8%
vs nation
1th percentile
Rent#2,716
$706
-39.3%
vs nation
16th percentile
Homeownership#602
80.2%
+24.5%
vs nation
81th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Pawnee County, 21.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 37.1% below the national average, ranking #1,789 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
21.2% −37.1% vs nation
Rank #1,789 of 3,222
44th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Pawnee County is 76.0 years. 17.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 9.3% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,259
76.0
+1.2%
vs nation
59th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,269
17.7%
-9.5%
vs nation
60th percentile
Diabetes#1,109
9.9%
-11.1%
vs nation
65th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#560
33.2%
-11.0%
vs nation
82th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#428
5.0
-11.7%
vs nation
86th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,053
4.1
-7.4%
vs nation
67th percentile
Uninsured Rate#1,558
9.3%
-10.8%
vs nation
50th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,005
28.0%
+6.1%
vs nation
36th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,836
15.0%
+4.1%
vs nation
42th percentile

Substance Use

17.1% of adults in Pawnee County smoke , 39.2% are obese , and 20.6% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#1,323
17.1%
-4.8%
vs nation
58th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,813
39.2%
+3.4%
vs nation
42th percentile
Excessive Drinking#1,797
20.6%
+3.4%
vs nation
43th percentile

Safety

. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 54.0 per 100,000.

Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,799
54.0
+166.9%
vs nation
1th percentile

Families & Children

20.3% of children in Pawnee County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 17.3 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#1,180
17.3
-20.6%
vs nation
61th percentile
Child Poverty#1,952
20.3%
+6.9%
vs nation
38th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Pawnee County is 69.5%. The mean commute time is 22.2 min, which is 19.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
69.5% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
22.2 min −19.4% vs nation
Rank #2,489 of 3,222
23th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Pawnee County voted Republican with a margin of 58.1%. The vote was 20.6% Dem / 78.7% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.7 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +58.1%
20.6% 78.7%
Dem 1,379 votes Rep
2020 REP +52.4%
22.5% 74.9%
Dem 1,429 votes Rep
2016 REP +52.6%
21.2% 73.8%
Dem 1,314 votes Rep
2012 REP +37.6%
29.8% 67.4%
Dem 1,330 votes Rep
2008 REP +27.2%
34.9% 62.1%
Dem 1,384 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Pawnee County, Nebraska

Pawnee County, Nebraska has a total population of 2,530, making it the 3,072nd most populous county in the United States. The median age in Pawnee County is 44.9 years, which is 15.4% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Pawnee County is $62,188, which ranks #1,879 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 17.2% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 13.5%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 2.2%.

The median home value in Pawnee County is $79,400, 71.8% below the national median. Renters in Pawnee County pay a median gross rent of $706 per month. The homeownership rate is 80.2%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Pawnee County, 21.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 37.1% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 87.0% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 22.2 min.

Pawnee County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 93.9% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic or Latino (1.9%).

All data for Pawnee County, Nebraska comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.