Pawnee 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 United States census, the population was 2,544. 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 Pawnee City. In the Nebraska license plate system, Pawnee County is represented by the prefix 54 (it had the fifty-fourth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Pawnee County was formed in 1854. It was named for the

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

Native American tribe. On May 30, 1879, the "Irving, Kansas Tornado" passed through Pawnee County. This

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

measured F4 on the

Fujita scale The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...

, and had a damage path 800 yards wide and 100 miles.

Geography

Pawnee County lies on the south line of Nebraska. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. The Big Nemaha River flows southeastward through the NE corner of the county, and smaller local drainages flow upward through the county to discharge into the Big Nemaha. The county's terrain consists of rolling hills, with its planar areas largely devoted to agriculture. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

Nebraska Highway 4 * N-8

Nebraska Highway 8 * N-50

Nebraska Highway 50 Nebraska Highway 50 (N-50) is a north–south highway in the state of Nebraska. The southern terminus is at the Nebraska-Kansas border near Du Bois. The northern terminus is in the Millard neighborhood of Omaha at an intersection with U.S. ...

Nebraska Highway 65 * N-99

Nebraska Highway 99 * N-105

Nebraska Highway 105

Adjacent counties

* Richardson County − east *

Nemaha County, Kansas Nemaha County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat is Seneca. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 10,273. The county was named for the Nemaha River. History Early history ...

− southeast *

Marshall County, Kansas Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Marysville. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 10,038. The county was named after Frank J. Marshall, a state representative ...

− southwest * Gage County − west * Johnson County − north * Nemaha County − northeast

Protected areas

* Bowwood State Wildlife Management Area * Burchard State Wildlife Management Area * Mayberry State Wildlife Management Area * Pawnee Prairie State Wildlife Management Area * Prairie Knoll State Wildlife Management Area * Table Rock State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 3,087 people, 1,339 households, and 850 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 1,587 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.87%

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 ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.68% 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 1,339 households, out of which 24.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% 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, 5.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.50% were non-families. 32.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86. The county population contained 22.70% under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 21.00% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 27.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,000, and the median income for a family was $36,326. Males had a median income of $24,770 versus $17,976 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 $16,687. About 6.80% of families and 11.00% 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 13.60% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Pawnee City (county seat)

Villages

* Burchard * Du Bois * Lewiston * Steinauer * Table Rock

Politics

Pawnee County voters have been Republican-leaning for decades. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected a Democratic Party candidate.

References

External links

*
Pawnee County tourism website
{{coord, 40.13, -96.24, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 Nebraska counties Populated places established in 1854 1854 establishments in Nebraska Territory