County profile

Lancaster County

Nebraska · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
326,696
Median household income
$74,793
People below poverty
11.9%
Median home value
$275,200

Income

The median income of households in Lancaster County, Nebraska was $74,793. An estimated 4.6% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 8.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.6
$10,000 to $14,999 2.8
$15,000 to $24,999 6.3
$25,000 to $34,999 7.5
$35,000 to $49,999 12.1
$50,000 to $74,999 16.9
$75,000 to $99,999 13.5
$100,000 to $149,999 19.1
$150,000 to $199,999 8.5
$200,000 or more 8.7

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 62546
Female 51093

An estimated 81.5% of households received earnings. An estimated 25.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.9 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $27,064. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 81.5
Social Security 25.8
Retirement income 21.9
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.5
Cash public assistance income 2.4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 12.3% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.7% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 12.3
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.7

In 2020-2024, 8.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 47% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 30.2% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 27.6% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024, 94.1% had health insurance coverage and 5.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 77.1% and public coverage was 29.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.5%.


In 2020-2024, Lancaster County, Nebraska had a total population of 326,696 - 162,368 (49.7%) females and 164,328 (50.3%) males. The median age was 34.3 years. An estimated 22.4% of the population was under 18 years, 37.5% was 19 to 44 years, 21.2% was 45 to 64 years, and 15.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 9729 9139
5 to 9 10158 10638
10 to 14 11102 9525
15 to 19 12727 12281
20 to 24 17959 17816
25 to 29 12527 11441
30 to 34 10917 9845
35 to 39 11636 9933
40 to 44 9922 10196
45 to 49 9325 8615
50 to 54 8704 8206
55 to 59 8110 7936
60 to 64 8877 9513
65 to 69 7744 8872
70 to 74 6778 7362
75 to 79 3611 4799
80 to 84 2365 2990
85 and over 2137 3261

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 80.6% were White; 3.7% were Black or African American; 7.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 4.1% were Asian; 1.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8.4% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 8.5% of the people in Lancaster County, Nebraska were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 77.9% of the people in Lancaster County, Nebraska were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 134,126 households in Lancaster County, Nebraska. The average household size was 2.34 people.

Married-couple households made up 45.3% of the households in Lancaster County, Nebraska while cohabiting couple households made up 7.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26% of all households, while 21.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.3% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.6% of all households.

In Lancaster County, Nebraska, 27.7% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 26.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 45.3
Cohabiting Couples 7.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 48.1% of males and 47.1% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 41.1 34.4
Now married, except separated 48.1 47.1
Separated 0.6 0.9
Widowed 2.2 6.3
Divorced 8 11.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Lancaster County, Nebraska, 3,087 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 37.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 91.3% of the people living in Lancaster County, Nebraska were U.S. natives. 65.7% of the Lancaster County, Nebraska population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 8.7% of Lancaster County, Nebraska residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 51.4% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 50.3 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Lancaster County, Nebraska come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Lancaster County, Nebraska.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 27.1
Asia 51.6
Europe 11
Africa 8.9
Northern America 0.8
Oceania 0.6

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024, 12.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 4.7% of people at least five years old; 4.9% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 4.7
Other Indo-European languages 3.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 3
Other languages 1.3

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 83.1 % of the people at least one year old living in Lancaster County, Nebraska were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 83.1
Different house, same county 10.5
Different county, same state 3.4
Different state 2.5
Abroad 0.6

Education

In 2020-2024, 93.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 41.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 6.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Lancaster County, Nebraska was 95,456 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 4,688 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 53,768. College or graduate school enrollment was 37,000.

Educational Attainment of People in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 6.4
High school diploma or equivalency 20.4
Some college, no degree 19.9
Associate's degree 11.4
Bachelor's degree 26.5
Graduate or professional degree 15.4

Disability

In Lancaster County, Nebraska, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 12.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.2% of people under 18 years old, to 10.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 30.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Lancaster County, Nebraska, 67.3 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 30.3% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.5% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 134,748 76.5
Federal, state, or local government workers 33,250 18.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 7,938 4.5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Lancaster County, Nebraska worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.4
Construction 5.9
Manufacturing 9.4
Wholesale trade 1.7
Retail trade 10.7
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.6
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 27.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.3
Other Services, except public administration 4.8
Public administration 6.5

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 77,918 44.2
Service occupations 27,921 15.8
Sales and office occupations 35,887 20.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 12,764 7.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 21,757 12.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.2% of Lancaster County, Nebraska workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 19 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.8
Walked 3.3
Other means 1.7
Worked from home 11.6

In 2020-2024, Lancaster County, Nebraska had a total of 140,324 housing units. Of these housing units, 66.5% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 31.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1.4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 66.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 31.9
Mobile homes 1.4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

14.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 12.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Lancaster County, Nebraska was 5.8 rooms, and of these housing units 56.9% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Lancaster County, Nebraska had 134,126 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 6,198 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 58.9% while renters occupied 41.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.61 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.94.

5.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 6.8% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.2% and another 21.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Lancaster County, Nebraska:

House Heating Fuel Used in Lancaster County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 63.7
Electricity 35.5
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.5
No fuel used 0.2

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Lancaster County, Nebraska was $275,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 63.8 % had a mortgage. 36.2% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,742 and for owners without a mortgage it was $729.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Lancaster County, Nebraska was $1,085. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.