Webster 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 3,411. 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 Red Cloud. 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 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...

. 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 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 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. 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 * US 281

U.S. Highway 281 * N-4

Nebraska Highway 4 * N-78

Nebraska Highway 78

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 - 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 there were 4,061 people, 1,708 households, and 1,118 families residing 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 1,972 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.10%

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 ...

, 0.15%

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 ...

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

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 ...

, 0.22% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.54% 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. 50.7% were of German, 9.7% English, 8.3% American and 7.6% Irish 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 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, 5.00% 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 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 $16,802. 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 ...

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

Communities

Cities

* Blue Hill * Red Cloud (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 2024). , 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