Deuel County, Nebraska

Deuel County () is a county located in the U.S. State of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,838. Its county seat is Chappell. The county was formed in 1889 and named for Harry Porter Deuel, superintendent of the Union Pacific Railroad.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Deuel County is represented by the prefix 78 (it had the 78th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

Deuel County lies on the south side of Nebraska. Its southern boundary abuts the northern boundary line of the State of Colorado. According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Since Deuel County lies in the western portion of Nebraska, its residents observe Mountain Time. The eastern portion of Nebraska observes Central Time.

Major highways

20px Interstate 80
20px Interstate 76
20px U.S. Highway 30
25px U.S. Highway 138
25px U.S. Highway 385
20px Nebraska Highway 27

Adjacent counties

Garden County - north
Keith County - east
Perkins County - southeast
Sedgwick County, Colorado - south
Cheyenne County - west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,838. The median age was 49.9 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.0% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.4% of the population.

There were 834 households in the county, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 2,098 people, 908 households, and 601 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,032 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.33% White, 0.05% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 1.14% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 2.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.3% were of German, 10.7% Irish, 10.2% English, 10.0% Swedish and 9.5% American ancestry.

There were 908 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 31.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.87.

The county population contained 23.30% under the age of 18, 4.90% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.90% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,981, and the median income for a family was $41,550. Males had a median income of $26,020 versus $19,479 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,891. About 5.30% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 6.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Chappell (county seat)

Village

Big Springs

Unincorporated community

Barton

Politics

Deuel County voters have been strongly Republican for decades. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).