Official Federal Data
Thurston County, Nebraska
FIPS 31173 · Population 6,627
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$69,177 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.2% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$605M ▼
GDP
22.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 6,627 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
$69,177 ▲
Per Capita
$27,509 ▲
Mean Household
$86,211 ▲
Poverty Rate
13.9% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Thurston County$69,177
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 34.3%
18-34 · 23.3%
35-54 · 19.3%
55-64 · 10.5%
65+ · 12.6%
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+
93.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +4.3 pts
22.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 13.5 pts
6.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 7.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
6,627
Population
3,042
Labor Force
Employed
2,735
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.2% ▲ +0.6 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
3.2%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 13.5 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Young population: Median age of 29 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: Wholesale Trade employs 146 workers (19.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $72,261.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $605M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Wholesale Trade averages $72,261 while Retail Trade averages $29,353, a 2.5x 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
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
68
Cluster Employment
3.04x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
9.01x 52
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
3.04x 68
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 9.01x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
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
$114,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$699 ▲
Rent/Mo
61% ▲
Owner-Occ
13.1% ▲
Vacancy
1.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$666/mo
1 Bedroom
$799/mo
2 Bedroom
$961/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,189/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,272/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,729/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 1.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- Elevated vacancy: 13.1% 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 (~$1,729/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
3,520 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
3.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.5%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
22.2% ▲
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
19.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
37.8%
Service
18.5%
Sales & Office
19.5%
Construction / Maint.
9.9%
Production / Transport
14.3%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,735 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- 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
Thurston County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 9.01x concentration and 52 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
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 Thurston County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Thurston County, Nebraska?
6,627 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Thurston County, Nebraska?
$69,177 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Thurston County, Nebraska?
3.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Thurston County, Nebraska?
$605M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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