Official Federal Data
Seward County, Nebraska
FIPS 31159 · Lincoln, NE · Population 17,641
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$82,444 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.6% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$1.1B ▲
GDP
33.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 17,641 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
$82,444 ▲
Per Capita
$38,704 ▲
Mean Household
$99,633 ▲
Poverty Rate
7.4% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Seward County$82,444
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.3%
18-34 · 23.3%
35-54 · 22.6%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 18.2%
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+
94.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.1 pts
33.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 2.5 pts
10.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
17,641
Population
9,463
Labor Force
Employed
9,237
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.6% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6.9%
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 743 workers (20.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $76,870.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $1.1B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $79,835 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $18,184, a 4.4x 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
1,518
Cluster Employment
1.74x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
9.44x 138
Animal Production and Aquaculture
7.02x 73
Crop Production
3.98x 81
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.50x 101
Truck Transportation
2.32x 132
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
2.15x 284
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
1.82x 83
Repair and Maintenance
1.81x 102
1.74x 1,518
Specialty Trade Contractors
1.60x 321
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.42x
Ambulatory Health Care Services
146 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry concentrates at 9.44x 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: 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
$241,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$980 ▲
Rent/Mo
72% ▲
Owner-Occ
5.8% ▼
Vacancy
2.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$730/mo
1 Bedroom
$756/mo
2 Bedroom
$967/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,345/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,450/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,061/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.9x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 72% 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 (~$2,061/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
10,316 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6.9%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
89.8%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
33.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.7% ▲
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
21.5%
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
39.6%
Service
16.3%
Sales & Office
17.6%
Construction / Maint.
11.9%
Production / Transport
14.5%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 9,237 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- 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
Seward County shows strong potential for support activities for agriculture and forestry attraction, with a 9.44x concentration and 138 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across support activities for agriculture and forestry, animal production and aquaculture, 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 Seward County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Seward County, Nebraska?
17,641 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Seward County, Nebraska?
$82,444 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Seward County, Nebraska?
2.6% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Seward County, Nebraska?
$1.1B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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