Holt County, Nebraska

Holt County
County
Holt County Courthouse in O'Neill
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°28′N98°47′W / 42.46°N 98.78°W / 42.46; -98.78
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1862 (created) 1876 (organized)
Named for	Joseph Holt
Seat	O'Neill
Largest city	O'Neill
Area
• Total	2,417 sq mi (6,260 km2)
• Land	2,412 sq mi (6,250 km2)
• Water	5.1 sq mi (13 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,127
• Density	4.2/sq mi (1.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.co.holt.ne.us

Holt County Nebraska Map

Holt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,127. ^[1] Its county seat is O'Neill. ^[2]

Holt County is in the Outback area of Nebraska. ^[3]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Holt County is represented by the prefix 36 (it had the 36th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Holt County was created by an act of the Nebraska Territory Legislature in 1862, and was organized in 1876. ^{[4] [5] [6]} It is named for Joseph Holt of Kentucky, who was postmaster general and secretary of war under President James Buchanan. It shares its name with Holt County, Missouri, though it is named for a different Holt.

Geography

The terrain of Holt County consists of low, rolling hills, with the flattened areas used for agriculture. The Niobrara River flows eastward along the north line of the county, and the Elkhorn River flows southeastward through the upper central portion of the county. The county has an area of 2,417 sq mi (6,260 km²), of which 5.1 sq mi (13 km²) (0.2%) are covered by water. ^[7] It is Nebraska's fifth-largest county by area.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 20
• U.S. Highway 275
• U.S. Highway 281
• Nebraska Highway 11
• Nebraska Highway 95

Adjacent counties

• Antelope County - east
• Boyd County - north
• Knox County - east
• Wheeler County - south
• Garfield County - south
• Loup County - southwest
• Rock County - west
• Keya Paha County - northwest

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	3,287		—
1890	13,672		315.9%
1900	12,224		−10.6%
1910	15,545		27.2%
1920	17,151		10.3%
1930	16,509		−3.7%
1940	16,552		0.3%
1950	14,489		−12.5%
1960	13,722		−5.3%
1970	12,933		−5.7%
1980	13,552		4.8%
1990	12,599		−7.0%
2000	11,551		−8.3%
2010	10,435		−9.7%
2020	10,127		−3.0%
US Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010-2013 [12]

As of the 2000 United States Census, ^[13] 11,551 people, 4,608 households, and 3,170 families were residing in the county. The population density was 5 people/sq mi (1.9 people/km²). The 5,281 housing units averaged 2 per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.86% White, 0.03% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. About 0.71% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. By ancestry, 46.0% were German, 12.5% Irish, 8.6% American, 7.5% English, and 5.4% Czech.

Of the 4,608 households, 31.6% had children under 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were not families. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46, and the average family size was 3.06.

The county's age distribution was 27.30% under 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.80% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,738, and for a family was $37,463. Males had a median income of $24,681 versus $17,593 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,256. About 9.8% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Atkinson
• O'Neill (county seat)

Villages

• Chambers
• Emmet
• Ewing
• Inman
• Page
• Stuart

Unincorporated communities

• Amelia
• Anncar
• Catalpa
• Deloit
• Dorsey
• Dustin
• Inez
• Meek
• Opportunity
• Paddock
• Redbird
• Stafford
• Star

Townships

• Antelope
• Atkinson
• Belle
• Chambers
• Cleveland
• Coleman
• Conley
• Deloit
• Dustin
• Emmet
• Ewing
• Fairview
• Francis
• Golden
• Grattan
• Green Valley
• Holt Creek
• Inman
• Iowa
• Josie
• Lake
• McClure
• Paddock
• Pleasant View
• Rock Falls
• Sand Creek
• Saratoga
• Scott
• Shamrock
• Sheridan
• Shields
• Steel Creek
• Stuart
• Swan
• Verdigris
• Willowdale
• Wyoming

Politics

Holt County voters have historically tended to vote Republican. In only two elections since 1916 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

United States presidential election results for Holt County, Nebraska ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	4,708	86.26%	681	12.48%	69	1.26%
2020	4,769	85.93%	686	12.36%	95	1.71%
2016	4,354	85.07%	531	10.38%	233	4.55%
2012	3,922	79.41%	882	17.86%	135	2.73%
2008	3,746	75.31%	1,089	21.89%	139	2.79%
2004	4,217	81.50%	894	17.28%	63	1.22%
2000	3,954	79.73%	846	17.06%	159	3.21%
1996	3,436	65.27%	1,107	21.03%	721	13.70%
1992	3,131	54.90%	835	14.64%	1,737	30.46%
1988	4,081	74.66%	1,327	24.28%	58	1.06%
1984	4,613	83.19%	893	16.10%	39	0.70%
1980	4,495	77.00%	1,016	17.40%	327	5.60%
1976	3,389	64.21%	1,751	33.18%	138	2.61%
1972	4,147	79.75%	1,053	20.25%	0	0.00%
1968	3,319	66.02%	1,278	25.42%	430	8.55%
1964	3,194	53.83%	2,739	46.17%	0	0.00%
1960	4,150	62.99%	2,438	37.01%	0	0.00%
1956	4,237	69.33%	1,874	30.67%	0	0.00%
1952	5,088	74.67%	1,726	25.33%	0	0.00%
1948	3,147	54.55%	2,622	45.45%	0	0.00%
1944	4,198	62.07%	2,565	37.93%	0	0.00%
1940	4,840	61.61%	3,016	38.39%	0	0.00%
1936	3,714	47.84%	3,902	50.26%	148	1.91%
1932	2,375	32.99%	4,761	66.13%	64	0.89%
1928	3,746	54.43%	3,126	45.42%	10	0.15%
1924	2,207	37.14%	1,529	25.73%	2,207	37.14%
1920	3,163	64.58%	1,577	32.20%	158	3.23%
1916	1,568	40.19%	2,213	56.73%	120	3.08%
1912	778	21.62%	1,456	40.47%	1,364	37.91%
1908	1,541	44.28%	1,777	51.06%	162	4.66%
1904	1,740	52.92%	646	19.65%	902	27.43%
1900	1,320	45.05%	1,492	50.92%	118	4.03%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Holt County, Nebraska

References

1. "U.S. Census Bureau: Holt County, Nebraska". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "About" Archived October 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , North Central RC&D.
4. Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism. p. 74. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
5. Andreas, A. T. (1882). "Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska". The Kansas Collection. Archived from the original on November 13, 2003. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
6. "Holt County". Nebraska Association of County Officials. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
8. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
12. "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
13. "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. Election Results

External links

• Official website

42°28′N98°47′W / 42.46°N 98.78°W / 42.46; -98.78