Keya Paha County, Nebraska

Keya Paha County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 769, and was estimated to be 792 in 2025.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Keya Paha County was represented by the prefix "82" (as it had the 82nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Keya Paha County was created on December 17, 1884 of land partitioned from Brown County.

The name "Keya Paha" is taken from the Dakota language; literally translated, it means "turtle hill". The Dakota name for a set of small hills was given to the county and to the Keya Paha River, which runs through it.

All land north of the Keya Paha River (which includes a small portion of Keya Paha County and most of neighboring Boyd County) was not originally part of Nebraska at the time of statehood, but was transferred from Dakota Territory in 1882.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.14%) is water. It is the 28th-largest county in Nebraska by total area.

Keya Paha County lies on the northern boundary of Nebraska, abutting the state of South Dakota. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills, whose level areas are used for agriculture, including center pivot irrigation. The Keya Paha River flows east-southeastward through the northeastern part of the county, while the Niobrara River flows eastward along the south county line.

Keya Paha County is located in Nebraska's Outback region.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 183
20px Nebraska Highway 7
20px Nebraska Highway 12
25px Nebraska Highway 137

Adjacent counties

Tripp County, South Dakota – north
Gregory County, South Dakota – northeast
Boyd County – east
Holt County – southeast
Rock County – south
Brown County – south
Cherry County – west
Todd County, South Dakota – northwest

National protected area

Niobrara National Scenic River (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 769. The median age was 49.1 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 95.8% White, 0.0% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.

There were 353 households in the county, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 17.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was Woodrow Wilson in 1916. In 1932, it was one of only two counties in the state not to vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt. The county was also the only one statewide to reject FDR in all four of his runs and one of the westernmost to do so along with Utahs Kane and South Dakotas Lawrence counties. 1994, Ben Nelson was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to carry the county.

{| class="wikitable"

! colspan="2" |Political Party

! Number of registered voters (March 1, 2026)

! Percent

| Republican

| 548

| Democratic

| 39

| Independent

| 27

| Libertarian

| 2

| Legal Marijuana Now

| 0

| 0.00%

! colspan="2" |Total

! 616

! 100.00%