Furnas County, Nebraska

Furnas County
County
Furnas County Courthouse in Beaver City
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°10′N 99°55′W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1873
Named for	Robert W. Furnas
Seat	Beaver City
Largest city	Cambridge
Area
• Total	721 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Land	719 sq mi (1,860 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
• Estimate  (2021)	4,636
• Density	6.6/sq mi (2.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.furnascounty.ne.gov

Furnas County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 4,636. Its county seat is Beaver City. The county was named for Robert Wilkinson Furnas, the second governor of the state of Nebraska.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Furnas County is represented by the prefix 38 (it had the thirty-eighth-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

Furnas County lies on the south line of Nebraska. The south boundary line of Furnas County abuts the north boundary line of the state of Kansas. The Republican River flows eastward across the upper central part of the county.

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 721 square miles (1,870 km²), of which 719 square miles (1,860 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 6
• U.S. Highway 34
• U.S. Highway 136
• U.S. Highway 283
• Nebraska Highway 46
• Nebraska Highway 47
• Nebraska Highway 89

Adjacent counties

• Harlan County – east
• Norton County, Kansas – south
• Decatur County, Kansas – southwest
• Red Willow County – west
• Frontier County – northwest
• Gosper County – north
• Phelps County – northeast

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	6,407		—
1890	9,840		53.6%
1900	12,373		25.7%
1910	12,083		−2.3%
1920	11,657		−3.5%
1930	12,140		4.1%
1940	10,098		−16.8%
1950	9,385		−7.1%
1960	7,711		−17.8%
1970	6,897		−10.6%
1980	6,486		−6.0%
1990	5,553		−14.4%
2000	5,324		−4.1%
2010	4,959		−6.9%
2020	4,636		−6.5%
2021 (est.)	4,604		−0.7%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,324 people, 2,278 households, and 1,489 families in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km²). There were 2,730 housing units at an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.22% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.6% were of German, 13.8% American, 11.4% English, 7.4% Irish and 5.2% Swedish ancestry.

There were 2,278 households, out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.60% were non-families. 32.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.

The county population contained 24.10% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 23.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,498, and the median income for a family was $37,000. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $19,918 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,223. About 6.90% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Arapahoe
• Beaver City (county seat)
• Cambridge

Villages

• Edison
• Hendley
• Holbrook
• Oxford (partial)
• Wilsonville

Unincorporated communities

• Hollinger
• Precept

Politics

Furnas County voters have been strongly Republican since its beginning. In only one national election since 1916 the county been carried by a Democratic Party presidential candidate.

United States presidential election results for Furnas County, Nebraska

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,043	84.46%	358	14.80%	18	0.74%
2020	2,163	83.13%	399	15.33%	40	1.54%
2016	1,921	82.09%	304	12.99%	115	4.91%
2012	1,782	79.55%	423	18.88%	35	1.56%
2008	1,725	74.10%	556	23.88%	47	2.02%
2004	1,950	79.04%	492	19.94%	25	1.01%
2000	1,849	76.06%	534	21.97%	48	1.97%
1996	1,475	61.18%	663	27.50%	273	11.32%
1992	1,365	48.73%	624	22.28%	812	28.99%
1988	1,830	69.19%	791	29.91%	24	0.91%
1984	2,363	79.67%	579	19.52%	24	0.81%
1980	2,483	78.28%	536	16.90%	153	4.82%
1976	1,851	60.21%	1,132	36.82%	91	2.96%
1972	2,282	77.15%	676	22.85%	0	0.00%
1968	2,137	69.81%	701	22.90%	223	7.29%
1964	2,011	54.65%	1,669	45.35%	0	0.00%
1960	2,854	72.34%	1,091	27.66%	0	0.00%
1956	2,894	72.26%	1,111	27.74%	0	0.00%
1952	3,464	77.29%	1,018	22.71%	0	0.00%
1948	2,258	60.18%	1,494	39.82%	0	0.00%
1944	2,870	68.35%	1,329	31.65%	0	0.00%
1940	3,316	64.85%	1,797	35.15%	0	0.00%
1936	2,842	52.40%	2,482	45.76%	100	1.84%
1932	2,087	38.10%	3,303	60.31%	87	1.59%
1928	3,760	73.17%	1,339	26.06%	40	0.78%
1924	2,378	50.30%	1,534	32.45%	816	17.26%
1920	2,445	60.53%	1,371	33.94%	223	5.52%
1916	1,163	40.45%	1,607	55.90%	105	3.65%
1912	354	13.79%	1,266	49.32%	947	36.89%
1908	1,400	44.80%	1,618	51.78%	107	3.42%
1904	1,569	61.72%	393	15.46%	580	22.82%
1900	1,321	48.85%	1,319	48.78%	64	2.37%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Furnas County NE
• Medicine Creek (Republican River tributary)

External links

Official website