Custer County, Nebraska Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Custer County, Nebraska, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Custer County, Nebraska. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Custer County, Nebraska. The estimated population of Custer County, Nebraska is 10,625 people, with a median age of 42.7.

We can look at the total population in Custer County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
10,625
 -1.51% -1.95%
2020
10,788
 -0.35% -
2019
10,826
 -0.04% -
2018
10,830
 -0.06% -
2017
10,836
 - -

Population of Custer County, Nebraska by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
93.7%
95%
 -1.37%
Black/African American
0.5%
0.8%
 -37.50%
Native
0.4%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
3.5%
2.9%
 +20.69%
Asian
0%
0.8%
 -100.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.8%
0.5%
 +260.00%
Other
0.2%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Custer County, Nebraska by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 42.7 -2.06% 41.8 -1.18% 44.3 -0.89%
2020 43.6 +1.16% 42.3 +0.24% 44.7 +0.9%
2019 43.1 -0.23% 42.2 +1.44% 44.3 -1.56%
2018 43.2 -0.69% 41.6 -0.72% 45 -0.44%
2017 43.5 - 41.9 - 45.2 -

The median age of Custer County, Nebraska gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 574 +28.2% 661 +2.03% 750 666
10 to 19 813 -17.14% 725 -5.62% 680 679
20 to 29 553 -1.36% 489 +13.53% 542 551
30 to 39 647 -20.9% 601 -17.29% 521 502
40 to 49 545 +25.61% 573 +5.78% 697 605
50 to 59 820 -10.21% 777 -16.06% 738 657
60 to 69 674 +6.7% 709 +13.38% 717 808
70+ 731 -3.19% 944 -15.2% 704 808

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Custer County, Nebraska is $57,715.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Custer County.

  • Under 25
    $46,071.00
  • 25 to 44
    $63,689.00
  • 45 to 64
    $63,857.00
  • 65 and over
    $46,644.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Custer County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Custer County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Custer County, Nebraska is currently $77,193.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

4.04% of households in Custer County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Custer County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    18.26%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.91%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    20.70%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.82%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    15.26%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.02%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.04%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Custer County is $32,864.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Custer County by the total population of Custer County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Custer County, Nebraska, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Custer County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    7.64%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28.34%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.86%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    46.41%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.75%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Custer County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Custer County over the age of 16 is 8,353.

Of those people, a total of 65.90% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Custer County is 64.60%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 503 59.80% 5.60%
20 to 24 years 513 83.40% 0.70%
25 to 29 years 580 88.60% 1.40%
30 to 34 years 603 84.20% 1.60%
35 to 44 years 1,169 85.40% 0.80%
45 to 54 years 1,134 89.00% 2.30%
55 to 59 years 814 83.50% 1.30%
60 to 64 years 722 68.30% 6.30%
65 to 74 years 1,263 39.60% 0.20%
75 years and over 1,052 6.70% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Custer County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 8,066 65.20% 1.90%
Black or African American 55 96.40% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 35 94.30% 0.00%
Asian 1 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 78 73.10% 0.00%
Two or more races 118 82.20% 6.20%
Hispanic or Latino 212 71.70% 1.30%
Not Hispanic or Latino 7,951 65.10% 1.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Custer County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Custer County is 5,395, with median earnings of $37,023.00.

Women in Custer County, Nebraska earning approximately 68.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 5,395 $37,023.00
Male 2,931 $42,965.00
Female 2,464 $29,507.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 743 $45,402.00
Business and Financial 231 $51,699.00
Computer and Mathematical 37 $51,875.00
Architecture and Engineering 44 $67,778.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 46 $60,000.00
Community and Social Service 88 $37,500.00
Legal 10 $0.00
Educational and Library 341 $52,188.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 35 $38,646.00
Healthcare Practitioners 338 $49,643.00
Healthcare Support 224 $24,583.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 12 $3,750.00
Law Enforcement 27 $50,938.00
Food Preparation and Serving 282 $20,070.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 236 $21,136.00
Personal Care and Service 113 $13,618.00
Sales 400 $22,056.00
Office and Administrative Support 481 $29,176.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 411 $38,281.00
Construction and Extraction 320 $50,588.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 298 $36,111.00
Production 344 $50,714.00
Transportation and Material Moving 246 $40,938.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 527 $45,972.00 216 $41,667.00
Business and Financial 73 $84,522.00 158 $50,674.00
Computer and Mathematical 25 $58,194.00 12 $6,875.00
Architecture and Engineering 44 $67,778.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 30 $35,833.00 16 $187,778.00
Community and Social Service 48 $40,625.00 40 $36,875.00
Legal 8 $0.00 2 $0.00
Educational and Library 77 $55,885.00 264 $51,597.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 22 $38,333.00 13 $43,036.00
Healthcare Practitioners 77 $164,583.00 261 $45,170.00
Healthcare Support 28 $4,022.00 196 $27,222.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 5 $0.00 7 $3,750.00
Law Enforcement 27 $50,938.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 83 $21,438.00 199 $17,841.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 173 $21,505.00 63 $7,917.00
Personal Care and Service 31 $12,411.00 82 $14,107.00
Sales 169 $44,087.00 231 $12,303.00
Office and Administrative Support 45 $73,125.00 436 $28,688.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 381 $37,656.00 30 $44,167.00
Construction and Extraction 303 $47,188.00 17 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 278 $34,286.00 20 $0.00
Production 226 $51,250.00 118 $45,625.00
Transportation and Material Moving 193 $45,815.00 53 $2,499.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 4,508 households in Custer County, with an average household size of 2.34 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 3,000 families in Custer County with an average family size of 2.85 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 2,391 254 355 1,508
Average Household Size 2.91 3.05 3.24 1.1
Total Families 2,391 254 355 0
Average Household Size 2.9 2.29 2.9 0

Poverty

Of the 3,000 families in Custer County, 7.40% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Custer County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 5,350 housing units in Custer County, Nebraska.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 4,508 84.26%
Vacant 842 15.74%

20.93% of the total 5,350 housing units in Custer County are rental units. This is approximately 1,120 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,172 are occupied by the owner - or 59.29% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Custer County is $719.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Custer County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    216
  • Less than $500
    179
  • $500 to $999
    711
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    201
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    12
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    4
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    9
  • $3,000 or more
    4

Property Value

The median value of a property in Custer County is $115,600.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Custer County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    509
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    863
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    500
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    405
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    476
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    259
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    78
  • $1,000,000 or more
    82

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Custer County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Custer County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,147
  • 1940 to 1949
    330
  • 1950 to 1959
    590
  • 1960 to 1969
    384
  • 1970 to 1979
    667
  • 1980 to 1989
    345
  • 1990 to 1999
    351
  • 2000 to 2009
    367
  • 2010 to 2013
    167
  • 2014 or later
    2

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Custer County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    230
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,151
  • 2 vehicles available
    1,292
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,835

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Custer County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Custer County that commute to work in a particular way.

16.2 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Custer County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    783
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    1,428
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    733
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    441
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    429
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    242
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    297
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    24
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    75
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    239
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    100
  • 90 or more minutes
    75

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Custer County, Nebraska in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Custer County, Nebraska

We have data for 37 places in Custer County, Nebraska. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.