Howard County, Nebraska

Howard County is a county in the state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 6,475. Its county seat is St. Paul. The county was formed in 1871 and named after Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard.

Howard County is part of the Grand Island metropolitan area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Howard County is represented by the prefix 49 (it had the 49th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

The terrain of Howard consists of low rolling hills. The leveled hilltops are mostly used for agriculture. The Upper Loup River flows southeastward into the county near its NW corner, turning eastward to flow toward its junction with Middle Loup River. The Middle Loup River flows northeastward into the county near its SW corner, turning north to join with the Upper Loup River near the county midpoint to form the Loup River, flowing eastward into Merrick County. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 281
20px Nebraska Highway 11
20px Nebraska Highway 22
20px Nebraska Highway 58
20px Nebraska Highway 92

Adjacent counties

Merrick County – east
Hall County – south
Buffalo County – southwest
Sherman County – west
Greeley County – north

Protected areas

Loup Junction State Wildlife Management Area

History

Early settlement and organization

Prior to European settlement, the region that comprises Howard County was primarily home to the Pawnee people, with the Sioux occasionally traversing the area during hunting expeditions. A major Native American gathering place known as Indian Hill was located near present-day Cushing until the tribes were relocated in 1870. Struck by the area's natural layout, James Paul later convinced his brother and fellow surveyor, Nicholas J. Paul, to establish a colony in the valley. The county was named in honor of Civil War General Oliver Otis Howard, an abolitionist who served as the head of the Freedmen's Bureau. The southwestern portion of the county was heavily settled by Danish immigrants. In May 1871, Lars Hannibal led members of the Danish Land and Homestead Company from Wisconsin to establish a colony along Oak Creek.

Concurrently, a substantial number of Polish and Czech pioneers populated other areas of the county. The arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in the 1880s connected these farming hubs to larger municipal markets, turning Howard County into a highly productive agricultural center for wheat, corn, and livestock. Downtown St. Paul underwent a architectural shift, replacing its original single-story wooden false-front buildings with two-story brick structures, and paving its dirt thoroughfares with brick during the early 1920s. The county seat became home to diverse light industries, including a brick manufacturing plant, a broom factory, a canning facility, a cigar factory, and two large flour mills—one of which formulated the region's first commercial self-rising flour. Following World War II, St. Paul native General Clarence S. Irvine achieved military distinction by engineering long-distance endurance flight records using the B-29 Superfortress airframe.

2026 EF3 tornado

On May 17, 2026, a high-end EF3 tornado severely impacted southeastern Howard County.

The tornado initially touched down at 5:04 p.m. CDT southwest of the village of St. Libory near 7th Avenue and Denton Road. Multiple detached garages and outbuildings were obliterated, while agricultural fields suffered heavy losses, including shredded shelterbelts, twisted grain bins, and rolled irrigation pivot systems. The first floor of the Howard County Courthouse in St. Paul and the St. Libory Fire Hall were established as emergency collection points to support displaced families.

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,475. The median age was 43.0 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 95.8% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population.

There were 2,616 households in the county, of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 6,567 people, 2,546 households, and 1,797 families in the county. The population density was . There were 2,782 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.69% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,546 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.09.

The county population contained 28.30% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,305, and the median income for a family was $40,259. Males had a median income of $27,270 versus $19,587 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,535. About 8.50% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

St. Paul (county seat)

Villages

Cotesfield
Cushing
Dannebrog
Elba
Farwell
Howard City
Wolbach (part)

Census-designated place

St. Libory

Unincorporated communities

Dannevirke
Nysted

Politics

Howard County voters have usually voted Republican for several decades. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.