NEBRASKA

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Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Omaha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

The State in Brief

Nickname: Cornhusker State

Motto: Equality before the law

Flower: Goldenrod

Bird: Western meadowlark

Area: 77,353 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 16th)

Elevation: Ranges from 840 feet to 5,426 feet above sea level

Climate: Continental, with wide variations of temperature: intensely hot summers, and severely cold winters. Rainfall twice as heavy in east as in west

Admitted to Union: March 1, 1867

Capital: Lincoln

Head Official: Governor David Heineman (R) (until 2007)

Population

1980: 1,570,000

1990: 1,578,385

2000: 1,711,263

2004 estimate: 1,747,214

Percent change, 1990–2000: 8.4%

U.S. rank in 2004: 38th

Percent of residents born in state: 67.1% (2000)

Density: 22.3 people per square mile (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 73,606

Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)

White: 1,533,261

Black or African American: 68,541

American Indian and Alaska Native: 14,896

Asian: 21,931

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 836

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 94,425

Other: 47,845

Age Characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 117,048

Population 5 to 19 years old: 387,288

Percent of population 65 years and over: 13.6%

Median age: 35.3 years (2000)

Vital Statistics

Total number of births (2003): 25,760

Total number of deaths (2003): 15,444 (infant deaths, 145)

AIDS cases reported through 2003: 598

Economy

Major industries: Finance, insurance, and real estate; trade; agriculture; manufacturing; services

Unemployment rate: 3.9% (April 2005)

Per capita income: $30,331 (2003; U.S. rank: 24)

Median household income: $44,357 (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Percentage of persons below poverty level: 9.9% (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Income tax rate: Graduated from 2.56% to 6.84% (2000; rate set yearly by state legislature)

Sales tax rate: 5.5%