Official Federal Data
Kearney County, Nebraska
FIPS 31099 · Kearney, NE · Population 6,713
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$78,631 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.5% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$618M ▼
GDP
34.5% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 6,713 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
$78,631 ▲
Per Capita
$42,943 ▲
Mean Household
$109,259 ▲
Poverty Rate
7.2% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Kearney County$78,631
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 24.8%
18-34 · 17.8%
35-54 · 23.4%
55-64 · 13.6%
65+ · 20.5%
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+
93.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.3 pts
34.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 1.2 pts
6.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 7.8 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
6,713
Population
3,650
Labor Force
Employed
3,589
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.5% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 338 workers (35.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $61,495.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $618M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $68,631 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $15,836, a 4.3x 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
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
642
Cluster Employment
2.14x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Crop Production
16.59x 116
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
3.31x 96
2.14x 642
Truck Transportation
1.69x 33
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Crop Production concentrates at 16.59x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 4 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 4 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
$223,400 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$857 ▲
Rent/Mo
77.5% ▲
Owner-Occ
5.8% ▼
Vacancy
2.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$689/mo
1 Bedroom
$757/mo
2 Bedroom
$993/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,191/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,327/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,966/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.8x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 77.5% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,966/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
3,671 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
90.2%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
34.5% ▲
HS Diploma+
93.9% ▼
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
24.8%
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
37.9%
Service
13.7%
Sales & Office
18.1%
Construction / Maint.
12.9%
Production / Transport
17.5%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 3,589 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 24.8% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Short commutes: 21.3-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
Kearney County shows strong potential for crop production attraction, with a 16.59x concentration and 116 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 24.8% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across crop production, merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods, and 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
Illustrative example
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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 Kearney County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Kearney County, Nebraska?
6,713 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Kearney County, Nebraska?
$78,631 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Kearney County, Nebraska?
2.5% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Kearney County, Nebraska?
$618M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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