List of counties in Nebraska

Ad

Ant

Art

Banner

Bla

Boo

Box
Butte

Boyd

Bro

Buffalo

Burt

But

Cass

Ced

Chase

Cherry

Chey

Clay

Col

Cu

Custer

Da

Dawes

Dawson

Deuel

Dix

Dod

Dou

Dundy

Fill

Fra

Frontier

Furn

Ga

Gard

Gar

Go

Grant

Gre

Hall

Ham

Har

Hay

Hitch

Holt

Hook

How

Jeff

Joh

Kear

Keith

Keya Paha

Kimball

Knox

Lan

Lincoln

Log

Loup

Mad

McPh

Mer

Morrill

Nan

Ne

Nuc

Otoe

Paw

Perkins

Phe

Pie

Platte

Polk

Red
Willow

Rich

Roc

Sal

Sar

Saun

Scotts
Bluff

Sew

Sherid

Sher

Sioux

Sta

Tha

Thom

Thur

Vall

Wa

Way

Web

Whe

York

See also: List of United States counties and county-equivalents

The following is a list of the 93 counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska, listed by name, FIPS code and license plate prefix.

Nebraska's postal abbreviation is NE and its FIPS state code is 31.

When many counties were formed, the bills establishing them did not state the honoree's full name; thus the namesakes of several counties, including Brown, Deuel, Dixon, and possibly Harlan, are known only by their surnames.

County list

County	FIPS code	County seat	Established	Origin	Etymology	License plate prefix	Population	Area	Map
Adams County	001	Hastings	1867	Un-Organized	John Adams, Founding Father and the second President of the United States	14	700431151000000000031,151	7002563000000000000563 sq mi (70031458000000000001,458 km2)
Antelope County	003	Neligh	1871	Un-Organized	Pronghorn, often called antelope	26	70037452000000000007,452	7002857000000000000857 sq mi (70032220000000000002,220 km2)
Arthur County	005	Arthur	1887	Un-Organized	Chester A. Arthur, twenty-first president of the United States	91	7002444000000000000444	7002715000000000000715 sq mi (70031852000000000001,852 km2)
Banner County	007	Harrisburg	1888	Formed from Cheyenne	Named for the hope of the early settlers to make the county the "banner county" of the state	85	7002819000000000000819	7002746000000000000746 sq mi (70031932000000000001,932 km2)
Blaine County	009	Brewster	1885	Unorganized	James G. Blaine (1843-1923), U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time United States Secretary of State, and Republican candidate in the 1884 presidential election	86	7002583000000000000583	7002711000000000000711 sq mi (70031841000000000001,841 km2)
Boone County	011	Albion	1871	Unorganized	Daniel Boone, American pioneer and trapper	23	70036259000000000006,259	7002687000000000000687 sq mi (70031779000000000001,779 km2)
Box Butte County	013	Alliance	1887	Formed from Dawes	Named for a large box-shaped butte located approximately six miles north of Alliance, Nebraska, the county seat.	65	700412158000000000012,158	70031075000000000001,075 sq mi (70032784000000000002,784 km2)
Boyd County	015	Butte	1891	Holt County, and Un-Organized (Indian Territory)	James E. Boyd, the eighth governor of Nebraska	63	70032438000000000002,438	7002540000000000000540 sq mi (70031399000000000001,399 km2)
Brown County	017	Ainsworth	1883	Un-Organized	The Brown family of early settlers	75	70033525000000000003,525	70031221000000000001,221 sq mi (70033162000000000003,162 km2)
Buffalo County	019	Kearney	1855	Un-Organized	Named for the American Bison which once roamed the present county	9	700442259000000000042,259	7002968000000000000968 sq mi (70032507000000000002,507 km2)
Burt County	021	Tekamah	1854	One of Nine Original Counties	Francis Burt, the first territorial governor of Nebraska who died after two days in office.	31	70037791000000000007,791	7002493000000000000493 sq mi (70031277000000000001,277 km2)
Butler County	023	David City	1856	Formed from Greene	William Orlando Butler, U.S. Congressman from Kentucky and Mexican-American War hero	25	70038767000000000008,767	7002584000000000000584 sq mi (70031513000000000001,513 km2)
Cass County	025	Plattsmouth	1854	One of Nine Original Counties	Lewis Cass, the territorial administrator and U.S. Senator from Michigan	20	700424334000000000024,334	7002559000000000000559 sq mi (70031448000000000001,448 km2)
Cedar County	027	Hartington	1857	Formed from Dixon and Pierce Counties	Named for the eastern red cedars present in the county	13	70039615000000000009,615	7002740000000000000740 sq mi (70031917000000000001,917 km2)
Chase County	029	Imperial	1873	Un-Organized	Champion S. Chase, a mayor of Omaha, Nebraska who served as Nebraska's first attorney general	72	70034068000000000004,068	7002894000000000000894 sq mi (70032315000000000002,315 km2)
Cherry County	031	Valentine	1883	Un-Organized	Samuel A. Cherry, army lieutenant killed in the Indian Wars	66	70036148000000000006,148	70035961000000000005,961 sq mi (700415439000000000015,439 km2)
Cheyenne County	033	Sidney	1867	Un-Organized	Named for the Cheyenne Native American tribe	39	70039830000000000009,830	70031196000000000001,196 sq mi (70033098000000000003,098 km2)
Clay County	035	Clay Center	1855	Formed from Un-Organized	Henry Clay, the Senator from Kentucky, U.S. Secretary of State, and presidential candidate	30	70037039000000000007,039	7002573000000000000573 sq mi (70031484000000000001,484 km2)
Colfax County	037	Schuyler	1869	Formed from Platte County	Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Vice President of the United States	43	700410441000000000010,441	7002413000000000000413 sq mi (70031070000000000001,070 km2)
Cuming County	039	West Point	1855	Formed from Burt County	Thomas B. Cuming, first Secretary of Nebraska Territory	24	700410203000000000010,203	7002572000000000000572 sq mi (70031481000000000001,481 km2)
Custer County	041	Broken Bow	1877	Un-Organized	George Armstrong Custer, general in the Civil War and Indian Wars	4	700411793000000000011,793	70032576000000000002,576 sq mi (70036672000000000006,672 km2)
Dakota County	043	Dakota City	1855	Formed from Burt County	Named for the Dakota branch of the Sioux Native American tribe	70	700420253000000000020,253	7002264000000000000264 sq mi (7002684000000000000684 km2)
Dawes County	045	Chadron	1885	Formed from Sioux County	James W. Dawes, the sixth governor of Nebraska	69	70039060000000000009,060	70031396000000000001,396 sq mi (70033616000000000003,616 km2)
Dawson County	047	Lexington	1860	Un-Organized	Jacob Dawson, the first postmaster in present-day Lincoln, Nebraska, the state capital	18	700424365000000000024,365	70031013000000000001,013 sq mi (70032624000000000002,624 km2)
Deuel County	049	Chappell	1888	Formed from Cheyenne County	The Deuel family of early settlers	78	70032098000000000002,098	7002440000000000000440 sq mi (70031140000000000001,140 km2)
Dixon County	051	Ponca	1856	Formed from Blackbird County, Izard County and Un-Organized	The Dixon family of early settlers	35	70036339000000000006,339	7002476000000000000476 sq mi (70031233000000000001,233 km2)
Dodge County	053	Fremont	1854	One of Nine Original Counties	Augustus Caesar Dodge, a United States senator from Iowa who was a supporter of the Kansas-Nebraska Act	5	700436160000000000036,160	7002534000000000000534 sq mi (70031383000000000001,383 km2)
Douglas County	055	Omaha	1854	One of Nine Original Counties	Stephen Arnold Douglas, the American statesman, U. S. senator, and presidential candidate	1	7005463585000000000463,585	7002331000000000000331 sq mi (7002857000000000000857 km2)
Dundy County	057	Benkelman	1873	Un-Organized	Elmer Scipio Dundy, a U.S. Circuit Court judge from Nebraska	76	70032292000000000002,292	7002920000000000000920 sq mi (70032383000000000002,383 km2)
Fillmore County	059	Geneva	1856	Formed from Jackson County and Un-Organized	Millard Fillmore, the thirteenth president of the United States	34	70036634000000000006,634	7002576000000000000576 sq mi (70031492000000000001,492 km2)
Franklin County	061	Franklin	1867	Formed from Kearney	Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father, printer, scientist, and diplomat	50	70033574000000000003,574	7002576000000000000576 sq mi (70031492000000000001,492 km2)
Frontier County	063	Stockville	1872	Un-organized	Named for the fact that it was located in what was referred to at that time as part of the Nebraska frontier	60	70033099000000000003,099	7002975000000000000975 sq mi (70032525000000000002,525 km2)
Furnas County	065	Beaver City	1873	Un-Organized	Robert Wilkinson Furnas, the third governor of Nebraska	38	70035324000000000005,324	7002718000000000000718 sq mi (70031860000000000001,860 km2)
Gage County	067	Beatrice	1855	Un-Organized	William D. Gage, a Methodist minister who served as chaplain of the state legislature at the time the county was established	3	700422993000000000022,993	7002855000000000000855 sq mi (70032214000000000002,214 km2)
Garden County	069	Oshkosh	1910	Formed from Deuel County	Named for the hopes of two real estate agents and citizens of the county seat, Oshkosh, Nebraska, that the county would be the "garden spot of the west"	77	70032292000000000002,292	70031705000000000001,705 sq mi (70034416000000000004,416 km2)
Garfield County	071	Burwell	1884	Formed from Wheeler County	James Abram Garfield, the twentieth president of the United States	83	70031902000000000001,902	7002570000000000000570 sq mi (70031476000000000001,476 km2)
Gosper County	073	Elwood	1873	Un-Organized	John J. Gosper, the secretary of state for Nebraska at the time of the county's formation	73	70032143000000000002,143	7002458000000000000458 sq mi (70031186000000000001,186 km2)
Grant County	075	Hyannis	1887	Un-Organized	Ulysses Simpson Grant, the eighteenth president of the United States and American Civil War general	92	7002747000000000000747	7002776000000000000776 sq mi (70032010000000000002,010 km2)
Greeley County	077	Greeley	1871	Un-Organized	Horace Greeley, the pioneering American journalist	62	70032714000000000002,714	7002570000000000000570 sq mi (70031476000000000001,476 km2)
Hall County	079	Grand Island	1858	Un-Organized	Augustus Hall, the chief justice of the Territorial Supreme Court at the time the county was created	8	700453534000000000053,534	7002546000000000000546 sq mi (70031414000000000001,414 km2)
Hamilton County	081	Aurora	1867	Un-Organized	Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury	28	70039403000000000009,403	7002544000000000000544 sq mi (70031409000000000001,409 km2)
Harlan County	083	Alma	1871	Formed from Kearney	Disputed; either James Harlan, who was the United States Secretary of the Interior in 1865 and 1866; or a revenue collector by the name of Harlan who once lived near Republican City, Nebraska	51	70033786000000000003,786	7002553000000000000553 sq mi (70031432000000000001,432 km2)
Hayes County	085	Hayes Center	1877	Un-Organized	Rutherford Birchard Hayes, the nineteenth president of the United States	79	70031068000000000001,068	7002713000000000000713 sq mi (70031847000000000001,847 km2)
Hitchcock County	087	Trenton	1873	Un-Organized	Phineas Warren Hitchcock, a U.S. Senator from Nebraska	67	70033111000000000003,111	7002710000000000000710 sq mi (70031839000000000001,839 km2)
Holt County	089	O'Neill	1860	Un-Organized (Formerly- West County)	Joseph Holt, a U.S. Postmaster General and U.S. Secretary of War under James Buchanan	36	700411551000000000011,551	70032413000000000002,413 sq mi (70036250000000000006,250 km2)
Hooker County	091	Mullen	1889	Un-Organized	Joseph Hooker, an American Civil War general	93	7002783000000000000783	7002721000000000000721 sq mi (70031867000000000001,867 km2)
Howard County	093	Saint Paul	1871	Formed from Hall County	Oliver Otis Howard, an American Civil War general	49	70036567000000000006,567	7002570000000000000570 sq mi (70031476000000000001,476 km2)
Jefferson County	095	Fairbury	1856	Un-organized	Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States	33	70038333000000000008,333	7002573000000000000573 sq mi (70031484000000000001,484 km2)
Johnson County	097	Tecumseh	1857	Formed from Nemaha and Otoe Counties	Richard Mentor Johnson, the ninth vice president of the United States	57	70034488000000000004,488	7002376000000000000376 sq mi (7002974000000000000974 km2)
Kearney County	099	Minden	1860	Un-Organized	Named for Fort Kearny - when the county was created the fort's name was misspelled	52	70036882000000000006,882	7002516000000000000516 sq mi (70031336000000000001,336 km2)
Keith County	101	Ogallala	1873	Un-Organized	M. C. Keith, who owned one of the largest ranches in western Nebraska at the time	68	70038875000000000008,875	70031061000000000001,061 sq mi (70032748000000000002,748 km2)
Keya Paha County	103	Springview	1884	Formed from Brown County and Un-Organized (Indian Territory)	Dakota words Ké-ya Pa-há Wa-kpá, which, translated, mean turtle hill river	82	7002983000000000000983	7002773000000000000773 sq mi (70032002000000000002,002 km2)
Kimball County	105	Kimball	1888	Formed from Cheyenne County	Thomas L. Kimball, an official of the Union Pacific Railroad	71	70034089000000000004,089	7002952000000000000952 sq mi (70032466000000000002,466 km2)
Knox County	107	Center	1857	Formed from Pierce County and Un-Organized (Former names-L'Eau Qui Court (1857-1867) and Emmet (1867-1873))	Henry Knox, the first United States Secretary of War	12	70039374000000000009,374	70031108000000000001,108 sq mi (70032870000000000002,870 km2)
Lancaster County	109	Lincoln	1855	Formed from Cass, and Pierce Counties	The cities of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Lancaster, England.	2	7005250291000000000250,291	7002839000000000000839 sq mi (70032173000000000002,173 km2)
Lincoln County	111	North Platte	1860	Un-Organized (Formerly Shorter County)	Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States	15	700434632000000000034,632	70032564000000000002,564 sq mi (70036641000000000006,641 km2)
Logan County	113	Stapleton	1885	Un-Organized	John Alexander Logan, a general in the American Civil War	87	7002774000000000000774	7002571000000000000571 sq mi (70031479000000000001,479 km2)
Loup County	115	Taylor	1883	Un-Organized	Loup River which in turn is named for the French word loup which means wolf	88	7002712000000000000712	7002570000000000000570 sq mi (70031476000000000001,476 km2)
Madison County	119	Madison	1856	Formed from Loup County and McNeale Counties and Un-Organized	Either James Madison, the fourth president of the United States; or, more likely, Madison, Wisconsin, where most of the new county's settlers were from	7	700435226000000000035,226	7002573000000000000573 sq mi (70031484000000000001,484 km2)
McPherson County	117	Tryon	1887	Un-Organized	James Birdseye McPherson, a general in the American Civil War	90	7002533000000000000533	7002859000000000000859 sq mi (70032225000000000002,225 km2)
Merrick County	121	Central City	1858	Formed from Polk County and Un-Organized	Elvira Merrick, wife of Henry W. DePuy, a territorial legislator	46	70038204000000000008,204	7002485000000000000485 sq mi (70031256000000000001,256 km2)
Morrill County	123	Bridgeport	1908	Formed from Cheyenne County	Charles Henry Morrill, a president of the Lincoln Land Company	64	70035440000000000005,440	70031424000000000001,424 sq mi (70033688000000000003,688 km2)
Nance County	125	Fullerton	1879	Formed from Pawnee Reservation	Albinus Nance, the fourth governor of Nebraska	58	70034038000000000004,038	7002441000000000000441 sq mi (70031142000000000001,142 km2)
Nemaha County	127	Auburn	1854	One of Nine original counties (Formerly Forney)	Nimaha, the Oto name meaning miry water for a stream which crossed the county and emptied into the Missouri River	44	70037576000000000007,576	7002409000000000000409 sq mi (70031059000000000001,059 km2)
Nuckolls County	129	Nelson	1860	Un-Organized	Lafayette Nuckolls, a member of the first Nebraska territorial legislature; and his brother, Stephen Nuckolls, a pioneering Nebraska settler, businessman and banker	42	70035057000000000005,057	7002575000000000000575 sq mi (70031489000000000001,489 km2)
Otoe County	131	Nebraska City	1854	One of nine Original Counties (Formerly Pierce)	Oto (also Otoe) Native American tribe	11	700415396000000000015,396	7002616000000000000616 sq mi (70031595000000000001,595 km2)
Pawnee County	133	Pawnee City	1855	Formed from Richardson County	Pawnee Native American tribe	54	70033087000000000003,087	7002432000000000000432 sq mi (70031119000000000001,119 km2)
Perkins County	135	Grant	1887	Formed from Kieth County	Charles E. Perkins, a president of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	74	70033200000000000003,200	7002883000000000000883 sq mi (70032287000000000002,287 km2)
Phelps County	137	Holdrege	1873	Formed from Kearney County	William Phelps, a riverboat captain on the Mississippi River who is alleged to have settled in the area	37	70039747000000000009,747	7002540000000000000540 sq mi (70031399000000000001,399 km2)
Pierce County	139	Pierce	1856	Formed from Izard County, McNeale County and Un-Organized	Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of the United States	40	70037857000000000007,857	7002574000000000000574 sq mi (70031487000000000001,487 km2)
Platte County	141	Columbus	1856	Formed from Greene and Loup Counties	Platte River which is in turn named for the French word for flat	10	700431662000000000031,662	7002678000000000000678 sq mi (70031756000000000001,756 km2)
Polk County	143	Osceola	1856	Formed from York County and Un-Organized	James Knox Polk, the eleventh president of the United States	41	70035639000000000005,639	7002439000000000000439 sq mi (70031137000000000001,137 km2)
Red Willow County	145	McCook	1873	Un-Organized	Red Willow Creek, which runs through the area	48	700411448000000000011,448	7002717000000000000717 sq mi (70031857000000000001,857 km2)
Richardson County	147	Falls City	1854	One of Nine Original Counties	William A. Richardson, a governor of the Nebraska Territory	19	70039531000000000009,531	7002554000000000000554 sq mi (70031435000000000001,435 km2)
Rock County	149	Bassett	1885	Formed from Brown County	Either Rock Creek, which flows in the county; or the rocky condition of the soil in the area	81	70031756000000000001,756	70031008000000000001,008 sq mi (70032611000000000002,611 km2)
Saline County	151	Wilber	1867	Un-organized	Named for a belief held by the early pioneers that great salt springs and deposits could be found in the area, a hope found to be false	22	700413843000000000013,843	7002575000000000000575 sq mi (70031489000000000001,489 km2)
Sarpy County	153	Papillion	1857	Formed from Cass and Douglas Counties	Peter A. Sarpy, a commander of a trading post in the future county	59	7005122595000000000122,595	7002241000000000000241 sq mi (7002624000000000000624 km2)
Saunders County	155	Wahoo	1856	Formed from Douglas and Lancaster (Formerly Calhoun County (1856-1865))	Alvin Saunders, a governor of the Nebraska Territory	6	700419830000000000019,830	7002754000000000000754 sq mi (70031953000000000001,953 km2)
Scotts Bluff County	157	Gering	1888	Formed from Cheyenne County	Named for a towering bluff located in the Scotts Bluff National Monument; the bluffs themselves are named for Hiram Scott, a fur trapper who is alleged to have crawled 75 miles with a broken leg before collapsing and dying at the foot of the formation	21	700436951000000000036,951	7002739000000000000739 sq mi (70031914000000000001,914 km2)
Seward County	159	Seward	1855	Formed from Cass and Pierce Counties (Formerly- Greene County)	William Henry Seward, the United States Secretary of State during the 1860s	16	700416496000000000016,496	7002575000000000000575 sq mi (70031489000000000001,489 km2)
Sheridan County	161	Rushville	1885	Formed from Sioux County	Philip Henry Sheridan, a general in the American Civil War	61	70036198000000000006,198	70032441000000000002,441 sq mi (70036322000000000006,322 km2)
Sherman County	163	Loup City	1871	Formed from Buffalo County and Un-Organized	William Tecumseh Sherman, the American Civil War general	56	70033318000000000003,318	7002566000000000000566 sq mi (70031466000000000001,466 km2)
Sioux County	165	Harrison	1877	Un-Organized	Sioux Native American tribe	80	70031475000000000001,475	70032067000000000002,067 sq mi (70035354000000000005,354 km2)
Stanton County	167	Stanton	1855	Formed from Burt County (Formerly Izard County)	Edwin McMasters Stanton, the United States Secretary of War during most of the American Civil War	53	70036455000000000006,455	7002430000000000000430 sq mi (70031114000000000001,114 km2)
Thayer County	169	Hebron	1871	Formed from Jefferson County	John Milton Thayer, the seventh governor of Nebraska	32	70036055000000000006,055	7002575000000000000575 sq mi (70031489000000000001,489 km2)
Thomas County	171	Thedford	1887	Un-Organized	George Henry Thomas, a general in the American Civil War	89	7002729000000000000729	7002713000000000000713 sq mi (70031847000000000001,847 km2)
Thurston County	173	Pender	1889	Formed form Blackbird County and Omaha Reservation	John Mellen Thurston, a U. S. senator from Nebraska	55	70037171000000000007,171	7002394000000000000394 sq mi (70031020000000000001,020 km2)
Valley County	175	Ord	1871	Un-Organized	Named for the many valleys in the area	47	70034647000000000004,647	7002568000000000000568 sq mi (70031471000000000001,471 km2)
Washington County	177	Blair	1854	One of Nine Original Counties	George Washington, the first president of the United States	29	700418780000000000018,780	7002390000000000000390 sq mi (70031010000000000001,010 km2)
Wayne County	179	Wayne	1867	Un-Organized	Anthony Wayne, the American Revolutionary War general nicknamed "Mad Anthony" by his troops	27	70039851000000000009,851	7002444000000000000444 sq mi (70031150000000000001,150 km2)
Webster County	181	Red Cloud	1867	Un-organized	Daniel Webster, the statesman and U.S. Senator from Massachusetts	45	70034061000000000004,061	7002575000000000000575 sq mi (70031489000000000001,489 km2)
Wheeler County	183	Bartlett	1877	Un-Organized	Daniel H. Wheeler, a secretary of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture	84	7002886000000000000886	7002575000000000000575 sq mi (70031489000000000001,489 km2)
York County	185	York	1855	Formed from Cass County, Pierce County and Un-Organized	Named for either York, England, or York County, Pennsylvania	17	700414598000000000014,598	7002576000000000000576 sq mi (70031492000000000001,492 km2)

Former counties of Nebraska:

• Clay (1855–64) Formed from Un-organized and dissolved into Gage and Lancaster County.
• Jackson (1855-6) Formed from Un-Organized and dissolved to the Fillmore County and Un-Organized.
• Johnson (1855-6) Formed from Un-Organized and dissolved to Un-organized
• Blackbird (1855–88) Formed from Burt County and dissolved to Thurston County
• Loup (1855-6) Formed from Burt and Un-Organized and then dissolved Madison, Monroe and Platte Counties
• Jones (1856–66) Formed from Un-Organized and dissolved into Jefferson County.
• Grant, Harrison, Jackson, Lynn, Monroe and Taylor counties listed in 1870 (But no proof on where)