Nebraska population: age, race, growth and households

Nebraska holds 0.59% of the US population. It is larger than South Dakota and Wyoming; smaller than Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri¹. Each figure below is for the state as a whole: the site does not publish numbers for Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Columbus or any other city or county.

2.0 million people, a new high

Nebraska did not regain its 1930 size until the 1960 Census. The census counted 1,377,963 people in 1930, 1,315,834 in 1940 and 1,325,510 in 1950, then 1,411,330 in 1960. An earlier pause came at the turn of the century: 1,062,656 in 1890 and 1,066,300⁹ in 1900, almost no change in ten years after the state had more than doubled in the 1880s.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

Show the numbers

Year	Nebraska
1860	28,841
1870	122,993
1880	452,402
1890	1,062,656
1900	1,066,300
1910	1,192,214
1920	1,296,372
1930	1,377,963
1940	1,315,834
1950	1,325,510
1960	1,411,330
1970	1,483,493
1980	1,569,825
1990	1,578,385
2000	1,711,263
2010	1,826,341
2020	1,961,504
2021	1,964,697
2022	1,972,595
2023	1,988,172
2024	2,005,591
2025	2,018,006

Over the long run, growth has not kept pace with the country. Nebraska ranked 26th of 50⁹ among the areas counted in 1890 and 37th of 51 in 2020. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses it grew by 7.4%, the same as the US figure (7.4%)⁶, and every annual estimate since 2010 has been higher than the one before. Nebraska kept its 3¹⁰ House seats after the 2020 Census.

Growth from births and from abroad

In the year to June 2025, Nebraska recorded 24,396 births and 18,260 deaths, a natural increase of 6,136. Net international migration added 6,599. Moves between states took away −366, almost an even exchange. Natural increase supplied 49% of the year's growth and migration from abroad 53%¹; together they exceed the total because the domestic balance was negative.

Births+24,396

Deaths−18,260

Net domestic migration−366

Net international migration+6,599

Residual (estimation adjustment)+46

Total change+12,415

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

Show the numbers

Component	People
Births	24,396
Deaths	−18,260
Net domestic migration	−366
Net international migration	6,599
Residual (estimation adjustment)	46
Total change	12,415

Relative to its size, Nebraska's natural increase was 3.0 per 1,000 residents, the 8th highest rate among the states and 101% above the US figure (1.5 per 1,000 residents). Its death rate, 9.1 per 1,000 residents, was the same as the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents)¹; the gap comes from births.

The domestic balance has been negative in every year since the 2020 Census but has narrowed: −5,817 in the year to June 2021, −4,533 in 2022, −1,074 in 2023, −1,540 in 2024 and −366 in 2025. Net arrivals from abroad rose over the same years, from 1,581 to a peak of 13,082, then fell by about half to 6,599¹.

In the 2024 survey of individual movers, the largest group of arrivals from another state came from Iowa, 6,626 people, a flow not statistically different from the flow from South Dakota. The largest group of departures went to Texas, 5,961, not statistically different from the flow to Iowa. In total 49,446 people moved in from other states and 48,085¹¹ moved out. Most residents, 63.2%, were born in Nebraska, 6.8 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%), and those born elsewhere in the country most often came from another Midwest state (13.6%¹² of all residents).

Nebraska population by age: many children, more seniors each year

Children under 18 make up 23.7% of the population, the 3rd highest share of any state and higher than every bordering state (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming). Children under 5 are 6.1%, also tied for 3rd highest and higher than every bordering state (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming)¹³.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

Show the numbers

Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	3.15	2.99	2.76	2.65
5-9	3.34	3.19	2.96	2.83
10-14	3.49	3.32	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.70	3.46	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.71	3.54	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.28	3.11	3.46	3.37
30-34	3.27	3.13	3.41	3.38
35-39	3.35	3.23	3.38	3.40
40-44	3.29	3.22	3.21	3.27
45-49	2.90	2.86	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.65	2.62	2.83	2.96
55-59	2.58	2.59	2.86	3.02
60-64	2.82	2.94	2.96	3.21
65-69	2.73	2.91	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.28	2.56	2.26	2.64
75-79	1.66	1.93	1.71	2.08
80-84	0.94	1.21	1.00	1.32
85+	0.77	1.27	0.78	1.28

The working-age share is correspondingly small: residents aged 18 to 64 are 58.0% of the total, tied for 7th lowest among the states. Residents 65 and older are 18.3%, 0.7 percentage points below the US figure (18.9%). Put together, there are 72.4 children and older residents for every 100 people of working age, the 8th highest ratio among the states and 9% above the US figure (66.6). Children account for most of it: the old-age ratio alone, 31.5 residents 65 and older per 100 of working age, is the same as the US figure (31.5)¹³.

The balance is shifting. Since 2020 the number of residents 65 and older rose to 368,331, up from 323,136 in 2020, while the number under 18 fell to 479,249, down from 485,854 in 2020¹³. The ACS median age, 37.9 years (±0.3 years), is up from 36.2 years in 2005¹⁴, and is 1.6 years below the US figure (39.5 years)³.

Men and women are almost equal in number: 1,005,936 males and 1,012,070¹⁵ females in 2025, or 99.7 males per 100 females, a ratio that ranks tied for 10th highest¹³. The median age is 38.7 years for women and 36.9 years³ for men.

Second-highest fertility in the country

The large child population goes with birth rates near the top of the national range. In 2024, Nebraska's total fertility rate, the number of children a woman would have at that year's birth rates, was 1.92, the 2nd highest after South Dakota (2.04) and 20% above the US figure (1.60). The general fertility rate, 62.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, was also 2nd highest¹⁶.

South Dakota2.04

Nebraska1.92

Iowa1.80

Kansas1.77

Wyoming1.70

Missouri1.67

United States1.60

Colorado1.49

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Births. Period: 2024.

Show the numbers

State	Births per woman
South Dakota	2.04
Nebraska	1.92
Iowa	1.80
Kansas	1.77
Wyoming	1.70
Missouri	1.67
United States	1.60
Colorado	1.49

Rates are well above the national level for women in their late twenties and early thirties. Births to women aged 25 to 29 were 123.7 per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29, 38% above the US figure (89.5 per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29); for women aged 30 to 34 the rate was 118.9 per 1,000 women aged 30 to 34, 27% above the US figure (93.7 per 1,000 women aged 30 to 34). Teen births, 14.0 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19, were 11% above the US figure (12.6 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19)¹⁶, a much smaller gap.

What percent of Nebraska is white, Hispanic, Black and Native American

The ACS put the non-Hispanic white share at 72.2% in 2025, 17.2 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%)². It is down from 85.4% in 2005¹⁴. The Census Bureau's population estimates show the same direction since the census: 73.3% in July 2025, down from 76.5% in 2020¹³.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic72.2% 85.9%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)14.3%

Two or more races, not Hispanic5.0%

Black, not Hispanic4.6% 6.8%

Asian, not Hispanic2.9% 3.9%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.7% 3.2%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.2%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.1% 0.4%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

Show the numbers

Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	72.2%	±0.2	85.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	14.3%		–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	5.0%	±0.3	–
Black, not Hispanic	4.6%	±0.3	6.8%
Asian, not Hispanic	2.9%	±0.1	3.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.7%	±0.1	3.2%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.2%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.1%		0.4%

The Hispanic or Latino share was 14.3% in 2025, up from 13.5% in 2024² and up from 8.3% in 2009¹⁴ in the ACS. Most are of Mexican origin: 8.7% of all Nebraskans in the 2020–2024 survey, 14th highest¹⁸ among the states.

Non-Hispanic Black residents are 4.6%, 7.1 percentage points below the US figure (11.7%); counting people who reported Black alone or with another race, of any ethnicity, the share is 6.8%¹⁷. Non-Hispanic Asian residents are 2.9%, and people of two or more races 5.0%, up from 4.2% in 2024².

American Indian residents are a small share, 0.7%² non-Hispanic in 2025, but the 2020 Census shows tribes rooted in the state. Among people who reported a specific tribe alone, the largest group was the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska (3,004). Counting everyone who reported a tribe alone or with another, the general answer Cherokee was the most common (5,395), followed by the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska (4,144¹⁹). Overlapping categories cannot be added.

Where Nebraskans live

With 26.3 people per square mile on 76,815 square miles²¹ of land, Nebraska is the 8th least densely populated state, denser than South Dakota and Wyoming; less dense than Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri²⁰. At the 2020 Census, 73.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 27.0% in rural areas. The rural share is 7.0 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%) but higher than Colorado; lower than Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming²²: Nebraska is more urban than every neighbor except Colorado.

The highest labor force participation of any state

In 2025, 70.1% of Nebraskans aged 16 and older were working or looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the highest of any state (the District of Columbia is higher), 7.7 percentage points above the US figure (62.4%) and higher than every bordering state (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming). The preliminary figure for September 2026, 69.2%, was 7.4 percentage points above the US figure (61.8%)²³.

District of Columbia72.2%

Nebraska70.1%

North Dakota69.7%

Minnesota68.3%

South Dakota68.2%

Utah68.0%

Iowa67.8%

Kansas67.8%

Colorado67.2%

Massachusetts66.5%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Period: 2025 (11-month avg, Oct 2025 missing).

Show the numbers

State	Labor force participation
District of Columbia	72.2%
Nebraska	70.1%
North Dakota	69.7%
Minnesota	68.3%
South Dakota	68.2%
Utah	68.0%
Iowa	67.8%
Kansas	67.8%
Colorado	67.2%
Massachusetts	66.5%

The rate is measured against everyone 16 and older, so the many children in the state do not affect it. In the ACS, 65.8% of people 16 and older had a job in 2025, 5.8 percentage points above the US figure (60.0%)²⁴. Unemployment averaged 3.0% in 2025, the 6th lowest²³ rate. The mean commute was 19.6 minutes, 7.8 minutes below the US figure (27.4 minutes) and tied for 3rd shortest²⁵ in the country.

Income near the US level, prices below it

The median household income of $81,614 (±$1,319) was $3,166 (4%) below the US figure ($84,780) in 2025, up from $78,386 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars)⁴. Prices are lower by more than that. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Nebraska's overall price level at 90.1 for 2024 (US = 100); for services other than housing it is 93.0, 4th least expensive. Adjusted for prices, income per person was $65,297 in 2024, the 6th highest of any state and $6,102 (10%) above the US figure ($59,195)²⁶.

The official poverty rate was 10.2% in 2025. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts taxes, benefits and local housing costs, gives a lower rate: 7.5% on average in 2023 to 2025, 5.5 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%). That is the 2nd lowest estimate, after Maine; allowing for margins of error, Nebraska ranks between 40th and 51st²⁸ counting from the highest rate, among the lowest but without a fixed place. Child poverty was 12.1%, 2.7 percentage points below the US figure (14.8%), and poverty among residents 65 and older 8.8%, 2.4 percentage points below the US figure (11.2%)⁵.

Use of public programs is low. In fiscal year 2025, 7.5% of residents received SNAP food benefits, the 8th lowest²⁹ share; in the 2025 ACS, 50.6% of households receiving SNAP included children, 8.3 percentage points above the US figure (42.3%)³⁰. In June 2026, Medicaid and CHIP enrollment equaled 16.6% of residents, 4.9 percentage points below the US figure (21.5%)³¹.

Catholic parishes and Lutheran churches

Nebraska's religious bodies, as counted by the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, are mostly Catholic and Lutheran. The Catholic Church counted 375,287 adherents, 19.1% of residents. Next come two Lutheran bodies, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (5.2%) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (4.5%), with The United Methodist Church between them. Mainline Protestant churches together counted 12.0%, the 6th highest³² share.

Christian congregations counted 48.3% of Nebraskans. Overall the adherence rate, 49.3%, is higher than Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Wyoming; lower than South Dakota, and it is down from 55.7% in 2010³², partly because the two studies were counted differently. These are membership lists, not survey answers (about the source).

How many households, and what kind

The ACS counted 827,249 households in Nebraska in 2025 (±4,929), in 890,794³⁴ housing units. Households are smaller than the national average despite the many children: 2.38 people per household, 4% below the US figure (2.49)³⁵. One person lives alone in 30.2%³³ of households.

Married couples make up 48.9% of households, the 10th highest share (between 5th and 18th once margins of error are counted), and 53.3% of people 15 and older are married, 3.9 percentage points above the US figure (49.4%)³⁶. Single mothers head 8.5% of households, 3.6 percentage points below the US figure (12.1%)³³.

Homes cost less than in most states. The median home value was $279,200, $91,900 (25%) below the US figure ($371,100)³⁷, and the median rent $1,194, $363 (23%) below the US figure ($1,557)³⁸. Rent takes a smaller bite too: 44.7% of renter households paid at least 30 percent of their income in rent, the 5th lowest³⁹ share. Only 7.1% of homes stood empty, 2.5 percentage points below the US figure (9.6%)⁴⁰.

Schooling: associate degrees and high school

Among adults 25 and older, 93.2% have finished high school, 2.6 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%), and 11.4% hold an associate degree as their highest degree, the 5th highest share. The bachelor's degree share is 36.2%, 1.2 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%)⁴¹, up from 27.3% in 2005¹⁴.

Immigrants from Latin America, Asia and Africa

In 2025, 177,500 Nebraskans were born abroad, 8.8% of the population and 5.9 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). Of them, 57.7% were born in Latin America, 26.0% in Asia and 8.9% in Africa; the African share is 3.0 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)¹².

Nebraska's Asian population is small but unusual in its make-up. Over 2020 to 2024, 6,766 residents (±1,084) reported Burmese origin, 0.34% of the population and the 2nd highest share of any state after Indiana. People of Nepalese origin were 0.15%, tied for 4th highest⁴³.

At home, 13.8% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English, 9.1 percentage points below the US figure (22.9%). Spanish is the most common, at 9.4%⁴⁴; Vietnamese is next, at 0.48%⁴⁵, the 12th highest⁴⁶ share among the states.

The most Czech state

Ancestry is where Nebraska's European settlement still shows. German is the most common ancestry, reported by 28.3%⁴⁷ of residents in 2025, the 4th highest share. Smaller groups set the state apart: on the 2020 to 2024 survey, Nebraska had the highest share of people of Czech ancestry of any state, 3.6%, twice the next state, South Dakota (1.8%). Its Danish share is 2nd highest, behind Utah, and its Swedish share 3rd highest⁴⁸.

Health, life expectancy and veterans

Life expectancy at birth was 78.3 years in 2022, 0.8 years above the US figure (77.5 years), ranking tied for 14th longest⁴⁹ among the states. Drug overdose deaths were 8.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted in 2024, 65% below the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted). Two measures run the other way: the infant mortality rate, 6.5 per 1,000 live births, was 18% above the US figure (5.5 per 1,000 live births)⁵⁰, and the adult obesity rate, 37.6%, was tied for 7th highest⁵¹. The uninsured rate was 7.5%, 0.9 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%)⁵².

The ACS counted 96,241 veterans in 2025, 6.3% of civilian adults, 0.4 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)⁵³.