Kimball County, Nebraska

Kimball County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,434. and was estimated to be 3,391 in 2025.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Kimball County was represented by the prefix "71" (as it had the 71st-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Kimball County was created on November 6, 1888 and named after railroad pioneer Thomas Lord Kimball.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water. It is the 19th-largest county in Nebraska by total area.

The terrain of Kimball County consists of rolling hills sloping to the east. The flatter portions are mainly used for agriculture, mostly dry farming with a modest amount of center pivot irrigation. A small drainage, Lodgepole Creek, feeds into the Oliver Reservoir, in the western central part of the county. The highest natural point in Nebraska, Panorama Point at , is located in Kimball County.

Major highways

20px Interstate 80
20px U.S. Highway 30
20px Nebraska Highway 71

Adjacent counties

Banner County – north
Cheyenne County – east
Logan County, Colorado – southeast
Weld County, Colorado – southwest
Laramie County, Wyoming – west

Protected areas

Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,434. The median age was 49.0 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 90.9% White, 0.0% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.6% of the population.

There were 1,501 households in the county, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.