Official Federal Data
Howard County, Nebraska
FIPS 31093 · Grand Island, NE · Population 6,534
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$76,767 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.5% ▼
Unemployment
4% national
$288M ▼
GDP
26% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 6,534 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
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
$76,767 ▲
Per Capita
$38,592 ▲
Mean Household
$96,174 ▲
Poverty Rate
4.8% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Howard County$76,767
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 25.2%
18-34 · 16.3%
35-54 · 22.3%
55-64 · 13.5%
65+ · 22.7%
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+
95.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.3 pts
26%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 9.7 pts
5.2%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 8.9 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
6,534
Population
3,306
Labor Force
Employed
3,182
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.5% ▼ 0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute
26.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.6%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 9.7 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 42 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 207 workers (36.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $27,881.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $288M (2024).
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
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
120
Cluster Employment
6.12x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
15.71x 43
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
6.12x 65
Crop Production
4.66x 25
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
2.88x 64
Repair and Maintenance
2.03x 30
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.81x 47
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.67x 55
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
1.62x 56
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 15.71x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 8 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
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
$209,100 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$777 ▲
Rent/Mo
78.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
13.5% ▲
Vacancy
2.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$752/mo
1 Bedroom
$910/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,049/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,258/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,389/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,919/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 78.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 13.5% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,919/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
3,405 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute
26.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
91.8%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
26% ▲
HS Diploma+
95.9% ▲
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
25.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
36.5%
Service
13.4%
Sales & Office
19.1%
Construction / Maint.
17.2%
Production / Transport
13.8%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 3,182 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 25.9% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- 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
Howard County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 15.71x concentration and 43 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 25.9% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across animal production and aquaculture, gasoline stations and fuel dealers, and crop production 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 Howard County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Howard County, Nebraska?
6,534 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Howard County, Nebraska?
$76,767 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Howard County, Nebraska?
2.5% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Howard County, Nebraska?
$288M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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