Phelps County

Phelps County is a rural community in south-central Nebraska. It is a twenty-minute drive to I-80 and a neighbor of Kearney, the fourth-largest city in the state. Phelps County boasts a high quality of life, with several festivals and events throughout the year. It is a community-driven county with residents working together toward growth.

Check out the demographics below to learn about the people who live in Phelps County. Then visit our news page to read their stories. There are countless projects, businesses, and opportunities in Phelps County, all made possible by the people who are proud to live here.

Population

Population	2000	2010	2026	2031
Phelps County	9,747	9,188	8,888	8,863

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Population by Age

Population	2026
0-4	516
5-9	530
10-14	564
15-19	587
20-24	485
25-29	365
30-34	549
35-39	496
40-44	618
45-49	464
50-54	527
55-59	442
60-64	614
65-69	590
70-74	514
75-79	409
80-84	273
85+	345
18+	6,912
Median Age	43

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Population by Race

Phelps County	2026
Total	8,888.00
White Alone	90.62%
Black Alone	0.62%
American Indian Alone	0.52%
Asian Alone	0.2%
Pacific Islander Alone	0.03%
Some Other Race	2.69%
Two or More Races	5.32%
Hispanic Origin	7.64%
Diversity Index	29.20

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Growth Rate

Phelps County	2026 - 2031
Population	-0.06%
Households	0.21%
Families	0.11%
Median Household Income	2%
Per Capita Income	2%

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Housing

Households

Population	2000	2010	2026	2031
Households	3,844	3,779	3,774	3,813
Housing Units	4,191	4,175	4,236	4,274
Owner Occupied Units			2,736	2,787
Renter Occupied Units			1,038	1,026
Vacant Units			462	461

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Home Value

Phelps County	2026	2031
Median Home Value	$211,450	$232,008
Average Home Value	$273,026	$302,287
<$50,000	84	73
$50,000 - $99,999	242	218
$100,000 - $149,999	415	369
$150,000 - $199,999	537	480
$200,000 - $249,999	393	396
$250,000 - $299,999	236	182
$300,000 - $399,999	324	239
$400,000 - $499,999	193	474
$500,000 - $749,999	245	281
$1,000,000 +	28	31

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Housing Year Built

Year Range	Houses Built
2010 or Later	180
2000-2009	323
1990-1999	440
1980-1989	418
1970-1979	562
1960-1969	483
1950-1959	353
1940-1949	409
1939 or Before	946

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Income

Phelps County	2026	2031
Median Household	$74,277	$80,356
Average Household	$93,113	$100,920
Per Capita	$39,800	$43,688

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Household Income

Phelps County	2026
<$15,000	428
$15,000 - $24,999	332
$25,000 - $34,999	233
$35,000 - $49,999	374
$50,000 - $74,999	532
$75,000 - $99,999	534
$100,000 - $149,999	794
$150,000 - $199,999	230
$200,000+	317

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Employees

Commute

Category	Commuters
Workers 16+	4,575
In-County Residents	3,752
Out-of-County Residents	798
Drive Alone	3,794
Carpooled	346
Public Transport	0
Work at Home	257
Motorcycle	0
Bicycle	3
Walked	141
Other	34
Less than 5 minutes	977
5-9 minutes	1,188
10-14 minutes	581
15-19 minutes	454
20-24 minutes	256
25-29 minutes	75
30-34 minutes	320
35-39 minutes	145
40-44 minutes	131
45-59 minutes	92
60-89 minutes	56
90+ minutes	43
Average Travel Time	15

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Employees by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Employees	4,704
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt	204
Mining	4
Utilities	110
Construction	369
Manufacturing	236
Wholesale Trade	295

Retail Trade	610
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers	144
Furn & Home Furnish Str	11
Electronics & Appl Store	5
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip	55
Food & Beverage Stores	230
Health/Pers Care Stores	38
Gasoline Stations	35
Clothing/Accessory Store	19
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music	36
General Merchandise Str	37

Transportation/Warehouse	181
Information	82

Finance & Insurance	208
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn	81
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv	60
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other	67

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing	51
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv	113
Legal Services	16
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises	0
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt	61
Educational Services	517
HealthCare/Social Assist	702
Arts/Entertainment/Rec	80

Accommodation/Food Srvcs	277
Accommodation	17
Food Srv/Drinking Places	260

Other Srv excl Pub Admin	341
Auto Repair/Maintenance	66
Public Administration Emp	257

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Educational Attainment (25+)

Phelps County	2026
<9th Grade	115
Some High School	272
GED	198
Graduated High School	1,569
Some College/No Degree	1,396
Associates Degree	761
Bachelor's Degree	1,304
Graduate Degree	591

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09

Businesses

Businesses by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Businesses	580
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt Bus	49
Mining Bus	1
Utilities Bus	5
Construction Bus	24
Manufacturing Bus	17
Wholesale Trade Bus	26

Retail Trade Bus	69
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers Bus	13
Furn & Home Furnish Str Bus	2
Electronics & Appl Store Bus	2
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip Bus	11
Food & Beverage Stores Bus	10
Health/Pers Care Stores Bus	6
Gasoline Stations Bus	5
Clothing/Accessory Store Bus	5
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music Bus	9
General Merchandise Str Bus	6

Transportation/Warehouse Bus	28
Information Bus	13

Finance & Insurance Bus	37
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn Bus	8
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv Bus	15
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other Bus	14

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing Bus	16
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv Bus	25
Legal Services Bus	5
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises Bus	0
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt Bus	14
Educational Services Bus	17
HealthCare/Social Assist Bus	42
Arts/Entertainment/Rec Bus	15

Accommodation/Food Srvcs Bus	24
Accommodation Bus	4
Food Srv/Drinking Places Bus	20

Other Srv excl Pub Admin Bus	85
Auto Repair/Maintenance Bus	15
Public Administration Bus	36

Source: ESRI, 2026-09-09