Official Federal Data
Buffalo County, Nebraska
FIPS 31019 · Kearney, NE · Population 50,579
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$75,911 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.5% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$4.5B ▲
GDP
34.4% ▼
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$75,911 ▲
Per Capita
$38,628 ▲
Mean Household
$94,897 ▲
Poverty Rate
9.9% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Buffalo County$75,911
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.7%
18-34 · 27.2%
35-54 · 23%
55-64 · 10.5%
65+ · 16.6%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.2 pts
34.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 1.3 pts
11.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
50,579
Population
28,594
Labor Force
Employed
27,821
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.5% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 10 min below national avg
16.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.7%
Key Takeaways
- Young population: Median age of 35 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 4,610 workers (22% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $64,946.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $4.5B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $70,042 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $21,941, a 3.2x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
2,590
Cluster Employment
5.38x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
5.38x 1,687
Animal Production and Aquaculture
2.50x 122
Food Manufacturing
2.37x 761
Printing and Related Support Activities
2.28x 142
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.24x 423
Truck Transportation
2.17x 579
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
2.09x 143
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.79x 442
Crop Production
1.71x 163
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
1.71x 440
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.14x
Educational Services
81 employed
0.43x
Real Estate
140 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing concentrates at 5.38x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$246,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$936 ▲
Rent/Mo
66.4% ▲
Owner-Occ
6.1% ▼
Vacancy
3.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$787/mo
1 Bedroom
$863/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,031/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,360/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,730/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,898/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,898/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
30,693 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 10 min below national avg
16.0 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.7%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
87.8%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
34.4% ▼
HS Diploma+
93.8% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
20,331/yr
6,113/yr
3,604/yr
3,235/yr
2,955/yr
2,601/yr
1,823/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
17.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
36%
Service
15.8%
Sales & Office
24.5%
Construction / Maint.
9.4%
Production / Transport
14.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 27,821 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 16.0-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 12,952 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Buffalo County shows strong potential for transportation equipment manufacturing attraction, with a 5.38x concentration and 1,687 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across transportation equipment manufacturing, animal production and aquaculture, and food manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Buffalo County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Buffalo County, Nebraska?
50,579 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Buffalo County, Nebraska?
$75,911 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Buffalo County, Nebraska?
2.5% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Buffalo County, Nebraska?
$4.5B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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