Otoe County, Nebraska

Otoe County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 15,912. Its county seat is Nebraska City.

History

Otoe County was formed in 1854 and was named for the Otoe Indian tribe; a variant spelling was Ottoe.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Otoe County is represented by the prefix 11 (it had the 11th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

Otoe County lies on the east side of Nebraska. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary lines of the states of Iowa and Missouri (across the Missouri River). The terrain of Otoe County consists of rolling hills which drop down to the river basin, and rich soil. The area is largely devoted to agriculture (corn, soybeans, milo, wheat, and fruit orchards). The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Otoe County derives its name from the Otoe Indians, who lived in the area.

Major highways

20px U.S. Highway 75
20px Nebraska Highway 2
20px Nebraska Highway 43
20px Nebraska Highway 50
20px Nebraska Highway 67
20px Nebraska Highway 128

Adjacent counties

Cass County - north
Fremont County, Iowa - northeast
Atchison County, Missouri - east
Nemaha County - southeast
Johnson County - south
Gage County - southwest
Lancaster County - west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 15,912. The median age was 42.2 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.5% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.9% of the population.

There were 6,390 households in the county, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 15,396 people, 6,060 households, and 4,229 families in the county. The population density was . There were 6,567 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.42% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 2.45% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,060 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.20% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.

The county population contained 26.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,302, and the median income for a family was $45,295. Males had a median income of $30,682 versus $21,520 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,752. About 5.90% of families and 8.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.30% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Nebraska City (county seat)
Syracuse

Villages

Burr
Douglas
Dunbar
Lorton
Otoe
Palmyra
Talmage
Unadilla

Census-designated place

Woodland Hills

Politics

Otoe County voters have been very Republican since Nebraska became a state, like most rural Nebraska counties. In no presidential election has the county supported the Democratic nominee since voting in 1932 for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Education

School districts include:

Conestoga Public Schools
Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools
Freeman Public Schools
Johnson-Brock Public Schools
Johnson County Central Public Schools
Norris School District 160
Nebraska City Public Schools
Palmyra District OR-1
Sterling Public Schools
Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools
Waverly School District 145

Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, a state-operated educational facility, is in the county.