Wayne County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,697. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Wayne. In the Nebraska license plate system, Wayne County is represented by the prefix 27 (it had the 27th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Wayne County was organized by a proclamation of Governor David Butler in the fall of 1870. As the county was settled, precincts were formed and boundaries defined. Precincts were named for officials, early settlers, and neighborhood creeks. There are 13 precincts in Wayne County. Wayne County, like the City of Wayne, was named for Revolutionary War General

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

Geography

The terrain of Wayne County consists of low rolling hills; mostly devoted to agriculture. The ground slopes to the east-northeast. A small drainage, South Logan Creek, flows east-northeastward through the central part of the county and exits flowing northeastward. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.09%) is water.

Major highways

Nebraska Highway 15 * N-16

Nebraska Highway 16 * N-35

Nebraska Highway 35 * N-57

Nebraska Highway 57 * N-98

Nebraska Highway 98

Adjacent counties

* Dixon County – northeast * Thurston County – east * Cuming County – southeast * Stanton County – south * Madison County – southwest * Pierce County – west * Cedar County – north

Protected areas

* Sioux Strip State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 9,851 people, 3,437 households, and 2,206 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,662 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.78%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.94%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.35% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.85% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 1.48% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 57.5% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 6.0% Irish and 5.9% Swedish ancestry. There were 3,437 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.80% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02. The county population contains 21.60% under the age of 18, 25.40% from 18 to 24, 21.20% from 25 to 44, 18.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,366, and the median income for a family was $43,840. Males had a median income of $27,848 versus $20,376 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $14,644. About 7.40% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

(partial) * Wayne (county seat)

Villages

* Carroll * Hoskins * Sholes * Winside

Unincorporated community

* Altona Several towns in Wayne County's early history no longer exist. LaPorte had nearly 300 citizens at one time and was home to a temporary courthouse until the railroad chose a different route. Towns such as Taffe, Logan City, Apex, Melvin, Weber and Spring Branch no longer exist.

Precincts

There are 13 precincts in Wayne County. They were named for officials, early settlers or neighborhood creeks. * Brenna - named for the sister of F.E. Moses, the first settler in the precinct. * Chapin - named for early settler Arthur T. Chapin. * Deer Creek - named for the deer horns found on the prairies in early days. * Garfield - named for US President James A. Garfield. * Hancock - named for Civil War Brigadier General

Winfield Scott Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

. * Hoskins - first named Spring Branch; later named for Mr. Hoskins who was secretary for Mr. Peavy, a member of the land company that laid out the village of Hoskins. * Hunter - named for early settler Cyrus E. Hunter, from Lee County IL. * Logan - probably named for John A. Logan, the vice presidential candidate with presidential candidate

James G. Blaine James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as speaker of the U.S. House of Rep ...

. * Leslie - either named for a pinoeer-days judge, or for a post office. * Plum Creek - named for wild plums seen along the creek in early days. * Sherman - named for Civil War General. * Strahan - named for J.M. Strahan, an early settler. * Wilbur - named for Russell H. Wilbur, a pioneer in the precinct.

Education

School districts include:
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/ref> * Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School * Norfolk Public Schools * Pender Public Schools * Pierce Public Schools * Randolph Public Schools * Wakefield Public Schools * Wayne Community Schools * Winside Public Schools * Wisner-Pilger Public Schools

Politics

Wayne County voters have been strongly Republican for many decades, voting for the Republican candidate in every presidential election except for three from 1900 onward. In addition, no Democratic presidential candidate has won the county since 1936.

References

{{authority control 1870 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1870