Custer County, Nebraska

• White (non-Hispanic) 9,634 91.6%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 416 4.0%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 54 0.5%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 11 0.1%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 280 2.7%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 44 0.4%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 17 0.2%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 62 0.6%

• Under 18 2,559 24.3%
• 18–24 713 6.8%
• 25–44 2,357 22.4%
• 45–64 2,517 23.9%
• 65 and over 2,372 22.6%

Median household income

$63,524

90% interval $56,986–$70,062

−$13,054 vs NE · 73rd of 93

Below poverty line

11.5%

90% interval 8.9%–14.1%

+0.9 pp vs NE · 35th of 93

Unemployment (12-mo)

2.5%

−0.45 pp vs. state

County GDP

$882.3M

0.47% of state

Avg. annual pay

$51,915

Establishments

471

• Education & health services 1,019 22.4%
• Trade, transportation & utilities 875 19.3%
• Natural resources & mining 593 13.1%
• Leisure & hospitality 367 8.1%
• Public administration 274 6.0%
• Professional & business services 197 4.3%
• Financial activities 196 4.3%
• Construction 1 0.0%

The sectors listed cover 77.5% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

68.9%

+2.4 pp vs NE · 70th of 93

Median gross rent

$853

−$219 vs NE · 34th of 93

Owner-occupied

3,104

Renter-occupied

1,398

• Diversified

  Top three sectors employ 55% of the workforce, a relatively diversified local economy. Expect mixed employer backgrounds on the panel rather than concentration in any one institution or industry.

• Wide wage spread

  Highest-paid sector (Financial activities, $72,864/yr) pays 4.3× the lowest (Construction, $16,783/yr). Stark intra-economy class divisions on the panel; calibrate damages and lost-wages framing to that range.

• Small-business scale

  Average establishment employs only 9.6 workers, a small-business-dominated local economy. Expect more self-employed and small-business-owner panelists than in institutional-employer venues.

• Republican 5,042 85.7%
• Democratic 786 13.4%
• Other / third-party 58 1.0%

• Spanish 215 2.2%
• German or other West Germanic 44 0.4%
• Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 10 0.1%
• Arabic 9 0.1%

Households

4,502

Family households

2,959

65.7% of households

Married couples w/ children

864

29.2% of families

Single-mother families

309

10.4% of families

Veterans

477

6% of civilians 18+

• Mainline Protestant 2,428 23.0%
• Catholic 1,685 16.0%
• Evangelical Protestant 1,329 12.6%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 387 3.7%

Health insured

92.9%

±1.4 pp

Uninsured

7.1%

±1.4 pp

39th of 93

With a disability

14.1%

±1.5 pp

41st of 93

Bachelor's or higher

24.3%

±2.3 pp

−10.3 pp vs NE · 43rd of 93

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

9.6%

90% interval 8.5%–10.7% · Census SAHIE

The under-65 uninsured rate is not comparable to the ACS insurance figures, which cover all ages.

Trial court

8th Judicial District Court

Judges

2 (District Court judges per judicial district (general civil + criminal jurisdiction); County Court judges (limited jurisdiction: small civil claims, misdemeanors, probate) separate. Vintage 2026 nebraskajudicial.gov; counts cross-checked against Neb. Rev. Stat. § 24-303 et seq. ~60 District Court judgeships statewide. The 4th JD (Douglas / Omaha) and 3rd JD (Lancaster / Lincoln) carry the largest benches; multi-county rural districts typically carry 2-4 judges.)

Court seats

Ainsworth, Bartlett, Bassett, Brewster, Broken Bow, Burwell, Butte, Greeley, Loup City, O'Neill, Ord, Saint Paul, Springview, Taylor, Valentine

This judicial district spans multiple counties.

Traffic fatalities

1

12.56 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

1