Saunders County, Nebraska Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Saunders County, NE Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 86% of counties in Nebraska
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Nebraska
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 76% of counties in Nebraska
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Saunders County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,048 | 1,978,686 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 30.3 | 25.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.21% | 0.63% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.6 | 38.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,899 | 797,835 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Saunders County grew by 14.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,048 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Saunders County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.5% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Nebraska as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,279 18.6% -4.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,422 19.2% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,955 21.5% +3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,319 18.7% +2.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Nebraska, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 48.4% of the people living in Saunders County and men 51.6%.
- Women 48.4% Nebraska 49.9%
- Men 51.6% Nebraska 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Saunders County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Saunders County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Saunders County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $95,507 | $76,615 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.10% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | 3.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Saunders County is about 25% higher than in Nebraska.
Housing
| Metric | Saunders County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $200,000 | $175,282 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $960 | $1,071 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.1% | 66.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Saunders County is about 17.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $960 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Saunders County spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 224 hours, about 9.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Saunders County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.9 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.8 | 34.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 224 | 142 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,946 | $4,390 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 11.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,053 | 5,179 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 936 | 691 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Nebraska:
Hooker County (7.4 min), Cherry County (8.0 min), Box Butte County (8.0 min).
Slowest:
Cass County (28.0 min), Banner County (27.2 min), Saunders County (26.9 min).
The average commute time in Saunders County is 27 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Nebraska.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Saunders County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Saunders County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.6% | 30.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 2.42 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Nebraska:
Sarpy County (0.3), Lancaster County (0.3), Douglas County (0.3).
Lowest:
Dakota County (0.2), Colfax County (0.2), Dawson County (0.2).
Health
Saunders County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Saunders County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.9 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 10.9% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.0% | 16.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Nebraska:
Wayne County (0.8), Sarpy County (0.8), Lancaster County (0.8).
Lowest:
Thurston County (0.8), Pawnee County (0.8), Dundy County (0.8).
Saunders County, NE Compared With Nearby Counties
Saunders County, NE is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 23,048 residents against a local median of 182,032. The measure that sets Saunders County, NE apart most is commute: 26.9 min, 50% above the local median of 17.9 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $95,507 against a local median of $77,854, 23% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Saunders County, NE is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread 8.1 min on commute, so Saunders County, NE sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Saunders County, NE has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saunders County, NE | 23,048 | $95,507 #1/5 | $200,000 #3/5 | 26.9 min #5/5 |
| Dodge County, NE | 37,351 | $74,698 | $156,579 | 13.6 min |
| Lancaster County, NE | 326,713 | $74,791 | $308,582 | 17.4 min |
| Douglas County, NE | 590,696 | $80,916 | $284,147 | 18.4 min |
| Washington County, NE | 21,106 | $94,639 | $66,052 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Saunders County, Nebraska.
How many people live in Saunders County, Nebraska?
About 23,048 people live in Saunders County, Nebraska, in 8,899 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.6, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Saunders County, Nebraska mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Saunders County, Nebraska has 30 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 35% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Saunders County, Nebraska an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($200,000 against $95,507), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $960 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Saunders County, Nebraska?
Unemployment in Saunders County, Nebraska is only 2.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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