Burt County, Nebraska

Burt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska, bordering the west bank of the upper Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,722, and was estimated to be 6,678 in 2025.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Burt County was represented by the prefix "31" (as it had the 31st-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Burt County was created on November 23, 1854 and named after Francis Burt, the first governor of Nebraska Territory.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.10%) is water. It is the 76th-largest county in Nebraska by total area. Its east boundary line is formed by the western border of the state of Iowa, a boundary mostly aligning with the Missouri River. Because of shifts in the river over time, small portions of the county are now located on the eastern bank of the river.

Major highways

20px U.S. Highway 75
20px U.S. Highway 77
20px Nebraska Highway 32
20px Nebraska Highway 51

Adjacent counties

Thurston County - north
Monona County, Iowa - northeast
Harrison County, Iowa - southeast
Washington County - south
Dodge County - southwest
Cuming County - west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,722. The median age was 47.2 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.

There were 2,851 households in the county, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" |Political Party

! Number of registered voters (March 1, 2026)

! Percent

| Republican

| 2,859

| 59.54%

| Democratic

| 955

| 19.89%

| Independent

| 902

| 18.78%

| Libertarian

| 57

| 1.19%

| Legal Marijuana Now

| 29

| 0.60%

! colspan="2" |Total

! 4,802

! 100.00%

Education

School districts include:

Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools #20, Bancroft
Logan View Public Schools #594, Hooper
Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools #20, Lyons
Oakland-Craig Public Schools #14, Oakland
Tekamah-Herman Community Schools #1, Tekamah