Webster County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 sove ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the population was 3,411. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Red Cloud Red Cloud ( lkt, Maȟpíya Lúta, italic=no) (born 1822 – December 10, 1909) was a leader of the Oglala Lakota from 1868 to 1909. He was one of the most capable Native American opponents whom the United States Army faced in the western ...

. The county was formed in 1871, and was named for

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

. In the Nebraska license plate system, Webster County is represented by the prefix 45 (it had the forty-fifth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

Webster County lies along the south line of Nebraska. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. The terrain of Webster County consists of low rolling hills, sloping to the east. The more planar areas of the county are used for agriculture, mostly under

center pivot irrigation Center-pivot irrigation (sometimes called central pivot irrigation), also called water-wheel and circle irrigation, is a method of crop irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers. A circular area ...

. The Republican River flows eastward across the lower part of the county. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.02%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 136 U.S. Route 136 is an east-west U.S. highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 36. It runs from Edison, Nebraska, at U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 34 to the Interstate 74/Interstate 465 interchange in Speedway, Indiana. This is a distance of . U ...

U.S. Highway 281 * N-4

Nebraska Highway 4 Nebraska Highway 4 is a highway in Nebraska. The entirety of the route is in Nebraska's southern tier of counties. Beatrice is the only city with over 1,000 in population on the highway. Its western terminus is at an intersection with US 6 and ...

Nebraska Highway 78 Nebraska Highway 78 is a highway in southern Nebraska. It has a southern terminus at the Kansas border where it continues from K-28. Its northern terminus is at an intersection with Nebraska Highway 4 west of Lawrence. Route description Nebra ...

Adjacent counties

* Adams County - north *

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

- northeast * Nuckolls County - east * Jewell County, Kansas - southeast *

Smith County, Kansas Smith County (standard abbreviation: SM) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,570. Its county seat is Smith Center. The county is named in memory of Maj. J. Nelson Smith, who was part of ...

- southwest * Franklin County - west * Kearney County - northwest

Protected areas

* Indian Creek State Wildlife Management Area * Liberty Cove Recreation Area

Demographics

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

there were 4,061 people, 1,708 households, and 1,118 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 1,972 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.10%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.15%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.22% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.54% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 50.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 9.7%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 8.3% American and 7.6%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry. There were 1,708 households, out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 5.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.50% were non-families. 32.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. The county population contained 23.60% under the age of 18, 4.60% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 24.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,026, and the median income for a family was $36,513. Males had a median income of $26,555 versus $18,480 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,802. About 7.70% of families and 11.20% 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 t ...

, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Blue Hill *

(county seat)

Villages

* Bladen * Cowles * Guide Rock

Census-designated place

* Inavale

Unincorporated communities

* Amboy * Rosemont

Politics

Webster County voters are reliably Republican. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020). , county elected officials include: *Commissioners: **District 1: Dan Shipman **District 2: Trevor Karr **District 3: TJ Vance **District 4: Tim Gilbert **District 5: Gary Ratzlaff *Sheriff: Troy Schmitz

References

External links

* {{coord, 40.18, -98.50, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 1871 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1871