2025

Counties in Nebraska ranked by Non-Hispanic Native American Population

This list ranks the 91 counties in Nebraska based on their Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these counties over the past five years.
Updated Feb 13, 2025

Top 5 counties with the largest Non-Hispanic Native American population in Nebraska

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  • 1
    Thurston County
    Non-Hispanic Native American population in Thurston County is 3,653
    52.16% of Thurston County population is Non-Hispanic Native American
  • 2
    Douglas County
    Non-Hispanic Native American population in Douglas County is 1,425
    0.22% of Douglas County population is Non-Hispanic Native American
  • 3
    Lancaster County
    Non-Hispanic Native American population in Lancaster County is 1,002
    0.29% of Lancaster County population is Non-Hispanic Native American
  • 4
    Knox County
    Non-Hispanic Native American population in Knox County is 719
    8.31% of Knox County population is Non-Hispanic Native American
  • 5
    Sheridan County
    Non-Hispanic Native American population in Sheridan County is 469
    8.84% of Sheridan County population is Non-Hispanic Native American

List of 91 counties in Nebraska by Non-Hispanic Native American Population

View Methodology
Rank by Non-Hispanic Native American Population
County
Non-Hispanic Native American Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Nebraska Non-Hispanic Native American Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Thurston County 3,653 52.16% 31.71%
2 Douglas County 1,425 0.22% 12.37%
3 Lancaster County 1,002 0.29% 8.70%
4 Knox County 719 8.31% 6.24%
5 Sheridan County 469 8.84% 4.07%
6 Scotts Bluff County 418 1.04% 3.63%
7 Dakota County 415 1.64% 3.60%
8 412 0.20% 3.58%
9 291 0.74% 2.53%
10 220 0.32% 1.91%
11 218 1.64% 1.89%
12 196 0.54% 1.70%
13 147 1.67% 1.28%
14 143 2.43% 1.24%
15 127 0.24% 1.10%
16 97 0.85% 0.84%
17 93 1.11% 0.81%
18 75 0.26% 0.65%
18 75 0.49% 0.65%
19 71 0.18% 0.62%
19 71 1.27% 0.62%
20 70 0.32% 0.61%
21 64 0.59% 0.56%
22 54 1.46% 0.47%
23 50 2.87% 0.43%
24 49 0.51% 0.43%
25 48 0.68% 0.42%
26 47 0.14% 0.41%
27 44 0.93% 0.38%
28 40 0.36% 0.35%
29 38 0.10% 0.33%
30 30 0.14% 0.26%
30 30 0.13% 0.26%
30 30 0.40% 0.26%
31 29 0.42% 0.25%
32 28 0.68% 0.24%
32 28 0.30% 0.24%
32 28 0.37% 0.24%
32 28 0.16% 0.24%
33 27 0.52% 0.23%
33 27 0.10% 0.23%
34 26 0.31% 0.23%
35 21 0.20% 0.18%
35 21 0.61% 0.18%
36 20 0.23% 0.17%
36 20 0.19% 0.17%
37 19 0.25% 0.16%
38 18 0.51% 0.16%
39 16 0.26% 0.14%
39 16 0.10% 0.14%
40 15 0.75% 0.13%
40 15 0.50% 0.13%
41 14 0.61% 0.12%
42 13 0.31% 0.11%
43 12 0.07% 0.10%
43 12 0.19% 0.10%
43 12 0.12% 0.10%
44 11 0.11% 0.10%
44 11 0.22% 0.10%
45 10 0.17% 0.09%
46 9 0.14% 0.08%
47 8 0.27% 0.07%
47 8 0.60% 0.07%
47 8 0.40% 0.07%
48 7 0.99% 0.06%
48 7 1.06% 0.06%
48 7 0.12% 0.06%
49 6 0.22% 0.05%
50 5 0.58% 0.04%
50 5 0.78% 0.04%
51 4 0.15% 0.03%
51 4 0.13% 0.03%
51 4 0.07% 0.03%
52 3 0.10% 0.03%
53 2 0.04% 0.02%
53 2 0.03% 0.02%
53 2 0.22% 0.02%
54 1 0.01% 0.01%
54 1 0.06% 0.01%

List of counties with no Non-Hispanic Native American Population in Nebraska

According to data from the United States Census Bureau, the following counties in Nebraska have no recorded Non-Hispanic Native American population*:
  • Harlan County
  • Arthur County
  • Wheeler County
  • Dundy County
  • Blaine County
  • Keith County
  • Pawnee County
  • Garfield County
  • Sioux County
  • Chase County
  • Thomas County
  • Keya Paha County
* These counties were not included in the ranking above, as they do not meet the population criteria. It is possible that a small population exists but was not reported or captured due to limitations or variations in Census data collection and reporting.

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks counties in Nebraska by their Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines Non-Hispanic Native American Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as Non-Hispanic Native American, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as Non-Hispanic Native American alone, while others identify as Non-Hispanic Native American along with another race (such as Non-Hispanic Native American and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Native American .
  • We’ve used the “Non-Hispanic Native American alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Non-Hispanic Native American population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Non-Hispanic Native American alone or in combination in counties. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Non-Hispanic Native American .
  2. % of Total Nebraska Non-Hispanic Native American Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Non-Hispanic Native American population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Non-Hispanic Native American populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Counties that don’t have any reported Non-Hispanic Native American population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Non-Hispanic Native American populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.