ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

McPherson County, Nebraska

FIPS 31117 · Population 475
7 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$58,684
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.9%
Unemployment
4% national
$33M
GDP
25.7%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 475 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
$58,684
Per Capita
$32,425
Mean Household
$75,318
Poverty Rate
12.2% approx.
Median Income Comparison
McPherson County$58,684
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 21.3% (101 residents) 55-64: 16.2% (77 residents) 35-54: 21.3% (101 residents) 18-34: 20.2% (96 residents) Under 18: 21.1% (100 residents) 46 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.1%
18-34 · 20.2%
35-54 · 21.3%
55-64 · 16.2%
65+ · 21.3%
Race & Ethnicity
White92.4%
Black or African American0%
Asian0%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)0.8%
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%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.4 pts
25.7%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 10.0 pts
7.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 6.8 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
475
Population
263
Labor Force
Employed
263
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.9% ▼ 0.5 pts YoY
Mean Commute 8 min below national avg
18.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
18.1%
Key Takeaways
  • Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 10.0 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
  • Aging population: Median age of 46 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$121,600
Median Home Value vs 2019
$588
Rent/Mo
65.1%
Owner-Occ
20.9%
Vacancy
2.1x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$680/mo
1 Bedroom
$747/mo
2 Bedroom
$980/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,210/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,309/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,467/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.1x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
  • Elevated vacancy: 20.9% 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 (~$1,467/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
274
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 8 min below national avg
18.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
18.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
76.8%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 70.1% of working-age population (18-64) 70% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
25.7%
HS Diploma+
95%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
20,331/yr
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 6,113/yr
University of Nebraska at Omaha 3,604/yr
Bellevue University 3,235/yr
Creighton University 2,955/yr
Central Community College 2,601/yr
Metropolitan Community College Area 1,823/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
28.1%
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
37.3%
Service
16%
Sales & Office
14.8%
Construction / Maint.
22.4%
Production / Transport
9.5%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 263 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Succession risk is real: 28.1% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
  • Short commutes: 18.1-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 7 federal data sources

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

Take it further

AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.

Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.

Schedule a Demo
Available as premium offerings.

Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for McPherson County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.

What is the population of McPherson County, Nebraska?

475 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in McPherson County, Nebraska?

$58,684 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in McPherson County, Nebraska?

3.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of McPherson County, Nebraska?

$33M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).