Thurston County, Nebraska Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Thurston 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.
-
C
Health Below averageLeast healthy county in Nebraska
-
D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Nebraska
-
D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 95% of counties in Nebraska
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Thurston County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,627 | 1,978,686 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 16.7 | 25.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.64% | 0.63% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 27.3 | 38.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,990 | 797,835 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Thurston County declined by 8.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,627 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Thurston County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.6% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Nebraska as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,695 25.6% +2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,134 17.1% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,098 16.6% -1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 862 13.0% -3.3 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 50.6% of the people living in Thurston County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Nebraska 49.9%
- Men 49.4% Nebraska 50.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Thurston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Thurston County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Thurston County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,578 | $76,615 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.38% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.0% | 3.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Thurston County is about 9% lower than in Nebraska.
Housing
| Metric | Thurston County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $17,749 | $175,282 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $698 | $1,071 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 61.0% | 66.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Thurston County is about 2.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $698 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Thurston County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 113 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Thurston County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.6 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.2 | 34.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 113 | 142 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,514 | $4,390 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.2% | 11.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,967 | 5,179 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 424 | 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 Thurston County is 14 minutes, shorter 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
Thurston County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Thurston County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.7% | 30.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.27 | 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
Thurston County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Thurston County | Nebraska Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.7 | 79.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.1% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 27.2% | 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).
Thurston County, NE Compared With Nearby Counties
How Thurston County, NE compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston County, NE | 6,627 | $69,578 #3/3 | $17,749 #2/3 | 13.6 min #2/3 |
| Dakota County, NE | 21,354 | $70,667 | $7,777 | 13.1 min |
| Woodbury County, IA | 106,250 | $73,309 | $94,303 | 16.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Thurston County, Nebraska.
What is the population of Thurston County, Nebraska?
About 6,627 people live in Thurston County, Nebraska, in 1,990 households of 3.3 people on average. The median age is 27.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Thurston County, Nebraska mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Thurston County, Nebraska has 17 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 19% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Thurston County, Nebraska?
The median home costs 0.3 times the median household income ($17,749 against $69,578), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $698 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 Thurston County, Nebraska?
Unemployment in Thurston County, Nebraska is 10.0%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Thurston County, Nebraska have a college degree?
17.7% of adults in Thurston County, Nebraska hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →