Phelps County Demographics

A map of Phelps County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	8,067	8,140	89.5%	90.8%
Hispanic	618	551	6.9%	6.1%
Multiracial	203	170	2.3%	1.9%
Black	77	34	0.9%	0.4%
Native American/Other	40	45	0.4%	0.5%
Asian	4	28	0.0%	0.3%

Phelps County, Nebraska has an estimated population of 9,009, a less than 1% change from the 8,968 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 89.5% White, 6.9% Hispanic, 2.3% Multiracial, 0.9% Black, 0.4% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Phelps County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Phelps has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Nebraska overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Phelps County, that probability was 17.2% in 2020 and 19.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Phelps County is ranked the 30th most populous county in Nebraska, out of 93 counties. Phelps County was ranked the 31st most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Phelps County's White Population

8,067 residents of Phelps County, or 89.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Phelps County is considerably higher than in Nebraska overall, where 75.3% of the population is White. Phelps County ranks 50th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Phelps County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Phelps County's population has decreased from 90.8% to 89.5%.

Phelps County is more White than neighboring Buffalo County (83.8% White), and Dawson County (52.8% White). Phelps County is less White than neighboring Harlan County (94.1% White), Gosper County (89.8% White), and Kearney County (90.8% White).

Phelps County's Black Population

77 residents of Phelps County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Phelps County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 4.6% of the population is Black. Phelps County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Phelps County's Black population has grown by an estimated 126.5%. Black residents' share of Phelps County's population has increased from 0.4% to 0.9%.

Phelps County is more Black than neighboring Harlan County (0.1% Black), Gosper County (0% Black), Kearney County (0% Black), and Buffalo County (0.8% Black). Phelps County is less Black than neighboring Dawson County (6.4% Black).

Phelps County's Asian Population

4 residents of Phelps County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Phelps County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Phelps County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Phelps County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 85.7%. Asian residents' share of Phelps County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Phelps County is less Asian than neighboring Harlan County (1.2% Asian), Gosper County (0.6% Asian), Kearney County (0.5% Asian), Buffalo County (1.6% Asian), and Dawson County (0.8% Asian).

Phelps County's Hispanic Population

618 residents of Phelps County, or 6.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Phelps County is lower than in Nebraska overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Phelps County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Phelps County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 12.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Phelps County's population has increased from 6.1% to 6.9%.

Phelps County is more Hispanic than neighboring Harlan County (1.8% Hispanic), and Kearney County (6.8% Hispanic). Phelps County is less Hispanic than neighboring Gosper County (7.4% Hispanic), Buffalo County (10.6% Hispanic), and Dawson County (37.4% Hispanic).

Phelps County's Native American/Other Population

40 residents of Phelps County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Phelps County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Phelps County ranks 53rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Phelps County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 11.1%. Native American/Other residents' share of Phelps County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Phelps County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Harlan County (0% Native American/Other), Gosper County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Kearney County (0.3% Native American/Other). Phelps County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Buffalo County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Dawson County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Phelps County's Multiracial Population

203 residents of Phelps County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Phelps County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Phelps County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Phelps County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 19.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Phelps County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.3%.

Phelps County is more Multiracial than neighboring Gosper County (1.9% Multiracial), Kearney County (1.5% Multiracial), and Dawson County (2% Multiracial). Phelps County is less Multiracial than neighboring Harlan County (2.8% Multiracial), and Buffalo County (2.4% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.