Seward County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,609, and was estimated to be 18,032 in 2025.

Seward County is part of the Lincoln, NE metropolitan area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Seward County was represented by the prefix "16" (as it had the 16th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Seward County was created on March 16, 1855 and organized on October 1, 1865. It was originally called Greene County, and in 1862 it was renamed for William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.77%) is water. It is the 56th-largest county in Nebraska by total area.

The Seward County terrain consists of low rolling hills, largely dedicated to agriculture including center pivot irrigation. The Big Blue River flows south-southeasterly through the central part of the county.

Adjacent counties

  • Butler County – north
  • Lancaster County – east
  • Saline County – south
  • Fillmore County – southwest
  • York County – west
  • Polk County – northwest

Protected areas

  • Bur Oak State Wildlife Management Area
  • Freeman Lakes Waterfowl Production Area
  • North Lake Basin State Wildlife Management Area
  • Oak Glen State Wildlife Management Area
  • Tamora Waterfowl Production Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 17,609. The median age was 37.9 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.8% of the population.

There were 6,558 households in the county, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. This practice continues despite 2016 state law LB 1106, meant to stop it by first requiring a criminal conviction for illegal drugs, child pornography, or illegal gambling, and establishing new reporting requirements and transfer regulations for seizures or forfeitures. However, loopholes in the law still allow seizure during a traffic stop if police believe the cash is connected to drugs, even if no drugs are found in the vehicle, a tactic that is used routinely by Seward County police. A bill introduced in February 2024 by Nebraska legislator Tom Brewer, LB 916, intends to ban civil forfeiture in the state entirely, requiring in all cases that prosecutors use the criminal justice process, rather than civil courts, to seize property.

Voting history

Seward County voters are reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

<!-- PresRow should be -->

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Seward County, Nebraska

References

  • Seward County government's website
  • Connect Seward County