Howard 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 state of

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 United States census, the population was 6,475. 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 St. Paul. The county was formed in 1871 and named after Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard. Howard County is part of the Grand Island metropolitan area. In the Nebraska license plate system, Howard County is represented by the prefix 49 (it had the 49th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

The terrain of Howard consists of low rolling hills. The leveled hilltops are mostly used for agriculture. The Upper Loup River flows southeastward into the county near its NW corner, turning eastward to flow toward its junction with Middle Loup River. The Middle Loup River flows northeastward into the county near its SW corner, turning north to join with the Upper Loup River near the county midpoint to form the Loup River, flowing eastward into Merrick County. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 281 * N-11

Nebraska Highway 11 * N-22

Nebraska Highway 22 * N-58

Nebraska Highway 58 * N-92

Nebraska Highway 92

Adjacent counties

* Merrick County – east * Hall County – south * Buffalo County – southwest * Sherman County – west * Greeley County – north

Protected areas

* Loup Junction State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 6,567 people, 2,546 households, and 1,797 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 2,782 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.69%

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 ...

, 0.30%

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 ...

, 0.24% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races. 1.01% 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. There were 2,546 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% 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, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09. The county population contained 28.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,305, and the median income for a family was $40,259. Males had a median income of $27,270 versus $19,587 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 $15,535. About 8.50% of families and 11.70% 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 14.30% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* St. Paul (county seat)

Villages

* Cotesfield * Cushing * Dannebrog * Elba * Farwell * Howard City * Wolbach (part)

Census-designated place

* St. Libory

Unincorporated communities

* Dannevirke * Nysted

Politics

Howard County voters have usually voted Republican for several decades. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

References

{{authority control Nebraska counties Grand Island micropolitan area 1871 establishments in Nebraska Populated places established in 1871