County profile

Thayer 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
4,901
Median household income
$66,213
People below poverty
9%
Median home value
$122,800

Income

The median income of households in Thayer County, Nebraska was $66,213. An estimated 3.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 5.5% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Thayer County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.7
$10,000 to $14,999 3.3
$15,000 to $24,999 9.6
$25,000 to $34,999 7
$35,000 to $49,999 12.3
$50,000 to $74,999 19.6
$75,000 to $99,999 13.4
$100,000 to $149,999 19.5
$150,000 to $199,999 6.1
$200,000 or more 5.5

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

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Dollars
Male 49392
Female 39261

An estimated 75.4% of households received earnings. An estimated 39.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 20.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,708. 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 Thayer County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.4
Social Security 39.4
Retirement income 20.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.9
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 9.5% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.4% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 9.1% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Thayer County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 9
Children under 18 years below poverty 9.5
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.4
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 9.1

In 2020-2024, 7.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 49.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 35.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 27.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Thayer County, Nebraska in 2020-2024, 94.8% had health insurance coverage and 5.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 74.5% and public coverage was 38.1%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.8%.


In 2020-2024, Thayer County, Nebraska had a total population of 4,901 - 2,458 (50.2%) females and 2,443 (49.8%) males. The median age was 46 years. An estimated 22.7% of the population was under 18 years, 24.4% was 19 to 44 years, 25.9% was 45 to 64 years, and 25.3 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 114 128
5 to 9 116 179
10 to 14 205 153
15 to 19 148 154
20 to 24 113 115
25 to 29 104 119
30 to 34 128 101
35 to 39 146 127
40 to 44 130 112
45 to 49 161 120
50 to 54 143 149
55 to 59 143 163
60 to 64 205 185
65 to 69 231 150
70 to 74 123 196
75 to 79 74 106
80 to 84 63 66
85 and over 96 135

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 94.2% were White; 0.1% were Black or African American; 7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.1% were Asian; 0% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.9% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.2% of the people in Thayer County, Nebraska were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 93.1% of the people in Thayer County, Nebraska were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 2,087 households in Thayer County, Nebraska. The average household size was 2.29 people.

Married-couple households made up 54.6% of the households in Thayer County, Nebraska while cohabiting couple households made up 6.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 20.4% of all households, while 18.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 17.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.9% were female householders living alone, for a total of 32.4% of all households.

In Thayer County, Nebraska, 25.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 39.8% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 54.6
Cohabiting Couples 6.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.4

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 60.9% of males and 60% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 24.1 18.6
Now married, except separated 60.9 60
Separated 1.3 1
Widowed 4.9 11.9
Divorced 8.8 8.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Thayer County, Nebraska, 46 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 56.5% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 99% of the people living in Thayer County, Nebraska were U.S. natives. 77.4% of the Thayer County, Nebraska population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1% of Thayer County, Nebraska residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 52.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 66.7 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Thayer 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 Thayer County, Nebraska.

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

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Percent
Latin America 52.1
Asia 2.1
Europe 39.6
Africa 2.1
Northern America 4.2
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Thayer County, Nebraska in 2020-2024, 2.5 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.6% of people at least five years old; 0.5% 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 Thayer County, Nebraska in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.6
Other Indo-European languages 0.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Thayer County, Nebraska were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 91.8
Different house, same county 3.3
Different county, same state 2.5
Different state 2.3
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 94.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 23.8% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 5.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Thayer County, Nebraska was 1,109 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 125 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 832. College or graduate school enrollment was 152.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 5.1
High school diploma or equivalency 33.4
Some college, no degree 20.9
Associate's degree 16.8
Bachelor's degree 16.3
Graduate or professional degree 7.5

Disability

In Thayer County, Nebraska, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.9% of people under 18 years old, to 10.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 28% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Thayer County, Nebraska, 62.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 71% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 14.9% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 13.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 1,747 71
Federal, state, or local government workers 367 14.9
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 330 13.4

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 20.7
Construction 6.6
Manufacturing 12.7
Wholesale trade 1.5
Retail trade 10.9
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.6
Information 1.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 5.3
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 3.2
Other Services, except public administration 3.7
Public administration 4.1

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 922 37.5
Service occupations 317 12.9
Sales and office occupations 434 17.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 416 16.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 370 15

Commuting to Work

An estimated 82.7% of Thayer County, Nebraska workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 16.4 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 82.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 2.9
Other means 1.2
Worked from home 5.2

In 2020-2024, Thayer County, Nebraska had a total of 2,497 housing units. Of these housing units, 95% 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"). 4% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 95
Apartments in multi-unit structures 4
Mobile homes 1
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

3.7% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 36.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Thayer County, Nebraska was 6.8 rooms, and of these housing units 64% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Thayer County, Nebraska had 2,087 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 410 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 77.5% while renters occupied 22.5%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.35 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.08.

2.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 20.1% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3.4% and another 35.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 61.1
Electricity 33.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.6
All other fuels 3.4
No fuel used 1.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Thayer County, Nebraska was $122,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 37.9 % had a mortgage. 62.1% 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 $1,151 and for owners without a mortgage it was $477.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Thayer County, Nebraska was $766. 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.