Seward County Demographics

A map of Seward County's Population by Race

Seward County, Nebraska has an estimated population of 17,641, a less than 1% change from the 17,609 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.7% White, 3.0% Hispanic, 1.6% Multiracial, 0.8% Black, 0.5% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Seward County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Seward has become less 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 Seward County, that probability was 13.3% in 2020 and 12.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Seward County is ranked the 18th most populous county in Nebraska, out of 93 counties. Seward County was ranked the 18th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Seward County's White Population

16,532 residents of Seward County, or 93.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Seward County is significantly higher than in Nebraska overall, where 75.3% of the population is White. Seward County ranks 28th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seward County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Seward County's population has increased from 93.0% to 93.7%.

Seward County is more White than neighboring Saline County (64.8% White), Butler County (90% White), York County (87.9% White), Lancaster County (77.9% White), and Polk County (90.1% White).

Seward County's Black Population

144 residents of Seward County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Seward County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 4.6% of the population is Black. Seward County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seward County's Black population has grown by an estimated 41.2%. Black residents' share of Seward County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Seward County is more Black than neighboring Saline County (0.4% Black), Butler County (0.2% Black), and Polk County (0.2% Black). Seward County is less Black than neighboring York County (1.3% Black), and Lancaster County (3.7% Black).

Seward County's Asian Population

94 residents of Seward County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Seward County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Seward County ranks 46th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seward County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 64.9%. Asian residents' share of Seward County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Seward County is more Asian than neighboring Butler County (0% Asian), and Polk County (0.2% Asian). Seward County is less Asian than neighboring Saline County (2.4% Asian), and Lancaster County (4.1% Asian).

Seward County's Hispanic Population

532 residents of Seward County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Seward County is lower than in Nebraska overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Seward County ranks 70th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seward County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Seward County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.0%.

Seward County is less Hispanic than neighboring Saline County (29.5% Hispanic), Butler County (6.3% Hispanic), York County (6.2% Hispanic), Lancaster County (8.5% Hispanic), and Polk County (6.3% Hispanic).

Seward County's Native American/Other Population

49 residents of Seward County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Seward County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Seward County ranks 48th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seward County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 47.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Seward County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Seward County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Saline County (0.2% Native American/Other). Seward County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Butler County (0.4% Native American/Other), York County (0.8% Native American/Other), and Lancaster County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Seward County's Multiracial Population

290 residents of Seward County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Seward County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Seward County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seward County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 39.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Seward County's population has decreased from 2.7% to 1.6%.

Seward County is less Multiracial than neighboring Saline County (2.7% Multiracial), Butler County (3.1% Multiracial), York County (3.3% Multiracial), Lancaster County (5.2% Multiracial), and Polk County (2.9% 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.