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	2025	2030
Phelps County	9,747	9,188	8,893	8,859

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Population by Age

Population	2025
0-4	516
5-9	541
10-14	569
15-19	586
20-24	459
25-29	383
30-34	550
35-39	505
40-44	584
45-49	469
50-54	517
55-59	466
60-64	624
65-69	591
70-74	511
75-79	405
80-84	281
85+	336
18+	6,898
Median Age	43

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Population by Race

Phelps County	2025
Total	8,893.00
White Alone	90.88%
Black Alone	0.4%
American Indian Alone	0.49%
Asian Alone	0.33%
Pacific Islander Alone	0.02%
Some Other Race	2.68%
Two or More Races	5.2%
Hispanic Origin	7.51%
Diversity Index	28.60

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Growth Rate

Phelps County	2025 - 2030
Population	-0.08%
Households	0.15%
Families	0.03%
Median Household Income	1%
Per Capita Income	2%

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Housing

Households

Population	2000	2010	2025	2030
Households	3,844	3,779	3,750	3,778
Housing Units	4,191	4,175	4,200	4,224
Owner Occupied Units			2,699	2,748
Renter Occupied Units			1,051	1,030
Vacant Units			450	446

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Home Value

Phelps County	2025	2030
Median Home Value	$201,204	$222,268
Average Home Value	$263,700	$290,837
<$50,000	125	111
$50,000 - $99,999	284	256
$100,000 - $149,999	419	381
$150,000 - $199,999	513	463
$200,000 - $249,999	353	366
$250,000 - $299,999	230	177
$300,000 - $399,999	297	228
$400,000 - $499,999	182	430
$500,000 - $749,999	231	264
$1,000,000 +	27	29

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Housing Year Built

Year Range	Houses Built
2010 or Later	132
2000-2009	320
1990-1999	363
1980-1989	432
1970-1979	558
1960-1969	539
1950-1959	450
1940-1949	365
1939 or Before	942

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Income

Phelps County	2025	2030
Median Household	$74,946	$80,536
Average Household	$95,362	$101,838
Per Capita	$40,265	$43,482

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Household Income

Phelps County	2025
<$15,000	397
$15,000 - $24,999	273
$25,000 - $34,999	213
$35,000 - $49,999	393
$50,000 - $74,999	600
$75,000 - $99,999	557
$100,000 - $149,999	779
$150,000 - $199,999	251
$200,000+	287

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Employees

Commute

Category	Commuters
Workers 16+	4,452
In-County Residents	3,650
Out-of-County Residents	782
Drive Alone	3,699
Carpooled	324
Public Transport	0
Work at Home	241
Motorcycle	0
Bicycle	0
Walked	147
Other	41
Less than 5 minutes	920
5-9 minutes	1,146
10-14 minutes	628
15-19 minutes	461
20-24 minutes	258
25-29 minutes	66
30-34 minutes	288
35-39 minutes	129
40-44 minutes	107
45-59 minutes	81
60-89 minutes	89
90+ minutes	38
Average Travel Time	15

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Employees by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Employees	4,769
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt	348
Mining	7
Utilities	110
Construction	335
Manufacturing	246
Wholesale Trade	269

Retail Trade	627
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers	166
Furn & Home Furnish Str	13
Electronics & Appl Store	5
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip	55
Food & Beverage Stores	230
Health/Pers Care Stores	39
Gasoline Stations	34
Clothing/Accessory Store	15
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music	35
General Merchandise Str	35

Transportation/Warehouse	158
Information	83

Finance & Insurance	207
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn	81
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv	59
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other	67

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing	43
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv	135
Legal Services	18
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises	0
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt	42
Educational Services	512
HealthCare/Social Assist	678
Arts/Entertainment/Rec	105

Accommodation/Food Srvcs	257
Accommodation	17
Food Srv/Drinking Places	240

Other Srv excl Pub Admin	327
Auto Repair/Maintenance	61
Public Administration Emp	274

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Educational Attainment (25+)

Phelps County	2025
<9th Grade	106
Some High School	299
GED	197
Graduated High School	1,569
Some College/No Degree	1,395
Associates Degree	896
Bachelor's Degree	1,306
Graduate Degree	454

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30

Businesses

Businesses by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Businesses	582
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt Bus	53
Mining Bus	1
Utilities Bus	5
Construction Bus	23
Manufacturing Bus	19
Wholesale Trade Bus	25

Retail Trade Bus	69
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers Bus	13
Furn & Home Furnish Str Bus	3
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	5

Transportation/Warehouse Bus	27
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	14
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv Bus	28
Legal Services Bus	6
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises Bus	0
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt Bus	12
Educational Services Bus	16
HealthCare/Social Assist Bus	44
Arts/Entertainment/Rec Bus	14

Accommodation/Food Srvcs Bus	25
Accommodation Bus	4
Food Srv/Drinking Places Bus	21

Other Srv excl Pub Admin Bus	85
Auto Repair/Maintenance Bus	15
Public Administration Bus	38

Source: ESRI, 2025-09-30