County population in 2016: 17,348 (40% urban, 60% rural); it was 16,496 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 2,984 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 1,684 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 4,328 Renter-occupied apartments: 1,598 (it was 1,685 in 2000)
% of renters here:
28%
State:
33%
Land area: 575 sq. mi.
Water area: 1.0 sq. mi.
Population density: 30 people per square mile (low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Seward County: 76.7 (low, U.S. average is 100)
Industries providing employment: Educational, health and social services (21.6%), Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (19.4%), Construction (14.1%), Wholesale trade (10.4%), Retail trade (10.4%).
Estimated median household income in 2016: $64,441 ($42,700 in 1999)
This county:
$64,441
Nebraska:
$56,927
Median contract rent in 2016 for apartments: $554 (lower quartile is $433, upper quartile is $758)
This county:
$554
State:
$633
Estimated median house or condo value in 2016: $166,329 (it was $91,000 in 2000)
Seward:
$166,329
Nebraska:
$148,100
Lower value quartile - upper value quartile: $110,947 - $239,493
Mean price in 2016:
Detached houses: $188,537
Here:
$188,537
State:
$184,633
Townhouses or other attached units: $159,096
Here:
$159,096
State:
$173,063
In 2-unit structures: $183,984
Here:
$183,984
State:
$142,451
Mobile homes: $27,148
Here:
$27,148
State:
$34,052
Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $1,273 Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $541
Institutionalized population: 242
Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):
Murders: 0
Rapes: 3
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 3
Burglaries: 17
Thefts: 42
Auto thefts: 3
Crime in 2004 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):
Murders: 0
Rapes: 2
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 1
Burglaries: 11
Thefts: 51
Auto thefts: 0
Health of residents in Seward County based on CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Questionnaires from 2003 to 2012:
General health status score of residents in this county from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) is 3.5. This is about average. 74.2% of residents exercised in the past month. This is about average. 34.3% of residents smoked 100+ cigarettes in their lives. This is less than average. 99.1% of adult residents drank alcohol in the past 30 days. This is more than average. 71.3% of residents visited a dentist within the past year. This is about average. Average weight of males is 203 pounds. This is more than average. Average weight of females is 161 pounds. This is about average.
Single-family new house construction building permits:
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2016: $2,367 (1.4%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2016: $2,477 (1.5%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2016: 8.3%
Seward County:
8.3%
Nebraska:
11.4%
(7.6% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 21.7% for Black residents, 18.8% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 31.3% for American Indian residents, 32.8% for other race residents, 42.6% for two or more races residents)
Median age of residents in 2016: 38.2 years old
(Males: 36.7 years old, Females: 39.7 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 39.3 years old, Black residents: 25.4 years old, American Indian residents: 44.3 years old, Asian residents: 20.4 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 27.8 years old, Other race residents: 25.1 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Seward County is $402 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $502 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $667 a month.
Current college students: 1,915 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 93.1% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 28.5%
Number of foreign born residents: 337 (54.5% naturalized citizens)
Seward County:
1.9%
Whole state:
7.0%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
2010 or later: 88
2000 to 2009: 116
1990 to 1999: 60
1980 to 1989: 73
1970 to 1979: 16
Before 1970: 69
Note: State values scaled to Seward County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 19.9 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 61.7%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 5,733
One, attached: 238
Two: 266
3 or 4: 171
5 to 9: 91
10 to 19: 116
20 to 49: 169
50 or more: 109
Mobile homes: 213
Housing units in Seward County with a mortgage: 2,574 (73 second mortgage, 153 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 2,001
Here:
50.0% with mortgage
State:
60.4% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Seward County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Evangelical Protestant
6,815
24
Mainline Protestant
2,664
12
Catholic
1,993
4
Other
3
1
None
5,275
-
Seward County Religion Details
Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Food Environment Statistics:
Number of grocery stores: 4
Seward County:
2.42 / 10,000 pop.
State:
2.60 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (no gas): 1
This county:
0.61 / 10,000 pop.
Nebraska:
0.44 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 8
Seward County:
4.84 / 10,000 pop.
Nebraska:
4.83 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 10
This county:
6.05 / 10,000 pop.
State:
7.76 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Seward County:
7.9%
Nebraska:
7.9%
Adult obesity rate:
Seward County:
27.1%
State:
28.0%
Low-income preschool obesity rate:
Here:
13.1%
State:
12.9%
Agriculture in Seward County:
Average size of farms: 422 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $135,455 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $214.10 The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.01% The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 49.07% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $123,447 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 76.26% Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 46.04% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $119,356 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 90.02% Average age of principal farm operators: 54 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 12.11 Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 2.88% Corn for grain: 134129 harvested acres All wheat for grain: 2316 harvested acres Soybeans for beans: 117228 harvested acres
Earthquake activity:
Seward County-area historical earthquake activity is slightly below Nebraska state average. It is 68% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 11/3/2002 at 20:41:56, a magnitude 4.3 (4.3 MB, 4.3 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 159.4 miles away from Seward County center On 3/4/1983 at 06:32:18, a magnitude 4.6 (4.4 MB, 4.6 LG, 4.4 ML) earthquake occurred 258.4 miles away from the county center On 8/9/1997 at 17:46:03, a magnitude 3.4 (3.4 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 63.6 miles away from the county center On 7/16/2004 at 12:17:30, a magnitude 3.5 (3.5 MW, 3.3 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 84.5 miles away from the county center On 6/20/2002 at 04:29:40, a magnitude 3.5 (3.3 MB, 3.5 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 89.2 miles away from Seward County center On 8/18/1959 at 06:37:13, a magnitude 7.7 (7.7 UK, Class: Major, Intensity: VIII - XII) earthquake occurred 732.0 miles away from the county center, causing $26,000,000 total damage Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML), moment magnitude (MW)
Most recent natural disasters:
Nebraska Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 06, 2015 to June 17, 2015, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4225: June 25, 2015, FEMA Id: 4225, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood, Wind
Nebraska Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 11, 2014 to May 13, 2014, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4179: June 17, 2014, FEMA Id: 4179, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood, Wind
Nebraska Severe Storms, Ice Jams, and Flooding, Incident Period: March 06, 2010 to April 03, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1902: April 21, 2010, FEMA Id: 1902, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
Nebraska Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm, Incident Period: December 22, 2009 to January 08, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1878: February 25, 2010, FEMA Id: 1878, Natural disaster type: Snowstorm, Winter Storm
Nebraska Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 22, 2008 to June 24, 2008, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1770: June 20, 2008, FEMA Id: 1770, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Nebraska Hurricane Katrina Evacuation, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 01, 2005, Emergency Declared EM-3245: September 13, 2005, FEMA Id: 3245, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Nebraska Severe Storms and Flooding, Incident Period: May 11, 2005 to May 12, 2005, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1590: June 23, 2005, FEMA Id: 1590, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
Nebraska Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding, Incident Period: May 20, 2004 to June 01, 2004, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1517: May 25, 2004, FEMA Id: 1517, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Nebraska Severe Snow Storms, Incident Period: October 24, 1997 to October 26, 1997, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1190: November 01, 1997, FEMA Id: 1190, Natural disaster type: Storm, Snow
Nebraska Flooding, Severe Storms, Incident Period: June 23, 1993 to August 05, 1993, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-998: July 19, 1993, FEMA Id: 998, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
3 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Seward County (13) is near the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 12 Emergencies Declared: 1
Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 9, Storms: 9, Tornadoes: 4, Winds: 3, Hurricane: 1, Ice Storm: 1, Snow: 1, Snowstorm: 1, Winter Storm: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (10%)
Construction and extraction occupations (9%)
Transportation occupations (8%)
Sales and related occupations (7%)
Office and administrative support occupations (5%)
Office and administrative support occupations (21%)
Education, training, and library occupations (9%)
Sales and related occupations (8%)
Healthcare support occupations (7%)
Management occupations (7%)
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (6%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (6%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
El Salvador (16%)
Guatemala (12%)
China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan (12%)
Mexico (10%)
Korea (9%)
Ukraine (6%)
Canada (5%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Seward County (%):
German (51%)
American (8%)
Czech (7%)
Irish (4%)
English (3%)
European (2%)
Swedish (1%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 5,116 (76.2%)
Carpooled: 658 (9.8%)
Bus or trolley bus: 3 (0.0%)
Taxicab, motorcycle, or other means: 42 (0.6%)
Bicycle: 33 (0.5%)
Walked: 397 (5.9%)
Worked at home: 428 (6.4%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
People in group quarters in Seward County, Nebraska in 2000:
995 people in college dormitories (includes college quarters off campus)
223 people in nursing homes
35 people in other group homes
15 people in hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill
15 people in other hospitals or wards for chronically ill
13 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
10 people in other types of correctional institutions
People in group quarters in Seward County, Nebraska in 2010:
1,054 people in college/university student housing
216 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
18 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities
8 people in group homes for juveniles (non-correctional)
Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $64,683.
6.23% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($40,683 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
6.23%
Nebraska average:
6.38%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
4.72% relocated from other counties in Nebraska ($31,880 average AGI)
1.51% relocated from other states ($8,803 average AGI)
Seward County:
1.51%
Nebraska average:
2.71%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2010 and 2011:
7.55% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($36,946 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
7.55%
Nebraska average:
6.57%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
5.53% relocated to other counties in Nebraska ($25,503 average AGI)
2.01% relocated to other states ($11,443 average AGI)
Seward County:
2.01%
Nebraska average:
2.88%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2010 and 2011:
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Seward County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 2,663 (2,432 aged, 231 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 246 (6%)
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Aged persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Disabled persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Most common underlying causes of death in Seward County, Nebraska in 1999 - 2014:
Atherosclerotic heart disease (214)
Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (177)
Alzheimer's disease, unspecified (154)
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (134)
Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction (90)
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, so described (66)
Colon, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (51)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 8% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 7%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 6 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 5,337 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 925 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 18,354
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,051 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,105
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 37 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 90
Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 24
Household type by relationship:
Households: 17,348
In family households: 13,513 (2,585 male householders, 1,764 female householders)
3,657 spouses, 4,661 children (4,147 natural, 295 adopted, 241 stepchildren), 173 grandchildren, 62 brothers or sisters, 95 parents, 80 other relatives, 370 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 2,399 (1,000 male householders (790 living alone)), 1,014 female householders (900 living alone)), 385 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 1,421
Size of family households: 2,205 2-persons, 657 3-persons, 845 4-persons, 349 5-persons, 227 6-persons, 85 7-or-more-persons.
3,155 married couples with children.
658 single-parent households (183 men, 475 women).
95.8% of residents of Seward speak English at home.
2.3% of residents speak Spanish at home (76% speak English very well, 15% speak English well, 7% speak English not well, 2% don't speak English at all).
1.0% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (80% speak English very well, 20% speak English well).
0.2% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (11% speak English very well, 50% speak English well, 26% speak English not well, 13% don't speak English at all).
0.2% of residents speak other language at home (50% speak English very well, 50% speak English not well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $79,717,000 ($4,786 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $1,600,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $36,703,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $12,359,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $15,205,000 Federal grants: $9,411,000 Federal procurement contracts: $2,802,000 ($343,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $3,236,000 ($36,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $324,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $7,025,000 Federal Government insurance: $53,130,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 996
Here:
60 per 1000 residents
State:
75 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 844
Here:
50 per 1000 residents
State:
46 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +73
Here:
+4 per 1000 residents
State:
+13 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: +35
Here:
+2 per 1000 residents
State:
-15 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Seward County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 2.03 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Median number of rooms in houses and condos:
Here:
7.2
State:
7.0
Median number of rooms in apartments:
Here:
4.8
State:
4.3
Year house built
2014 or later: 115
2010 to 2013: 253
2000 to 2009: 900
1990 to 1999: 853
1980 to 1989: 429
1970 to 1979: 1,206
1960 to 1969: 648
1950 to 1959: 518
1940 to 1949: 258
1939 or earlier: 1,927
Note: State values scaled to Seward population
Rooms in houses/apartments in Seward County, Nebraska
Note: State values scaled to Seward County population
no vehicle: 60
1 vehicle: 730
2 vehicles: 1,656
3 vehicles: 1,288
4 vehicles: 520
5+ vehicles: 323
no vehicle: 212
1 vehicle: 657
2 vehicles: 585
3 vehicles: 244
4 vehicles: 96
5+ vehicles: 21
84% of Seward County residents lived in the same house 1 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 29% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 64% lived in Nebraska.
Seward County:
83.5%
State average:
83.5%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 12,927
Other state: 3,928
Northeast: 177
Midwest: 2,288
South: 594
West: 857
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Seward County
Click here to upload your Seward County photos (outside city limits)
38.2 years
36.3 years
(50.9%)
(49.1%)
, Butler County, Pennsylvania 
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