Thurston County Demographics

A map of Thurston County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Native American/Other	3,564	3,917	53.8%	57.8%
White	2,397	2,444	36.2%	36.1%
Hispanic	322	260	4.9%	3.8%
Multiracial	233	120	3.5%	1.8%
Asian	93	8	1.4%	0.1%
Black	18	24	0.3%	0.4%

Thurston County, Nebraska has an estimated population of 6,627, a slight decrease from the 6,773 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 53.8% Native American/Other, 36.2% White, 4.9% Hispanic, 3.5% Multiracial, 1.4% Asian, and 0.3% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Thurston County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Thurston has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably more 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 Thurston County, that probability was 53.3% in 2020 and 57.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Thurston County is ranked the 44th most populous county in Nebraska, out of 93 counties. Thurston County was ranked the 42nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Thurston County's White Population

2,397 residents of Thurston County, or 36.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Thurston County is significantly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 75.3% of the population is White. Thurston County ranks 93rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Thurston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 36.2%.

Thurston County is less White than neighboring Dakota County (42.3% White), Cuming County (85.1% White), Burt County (90.3% White), Dixon County (80.9% White), and Woodbury County (67.1% White).

Thurston County's Black Population

18 residents of Thurston County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Thurston County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 4.6% of the population is Black. Thurston County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Black population has declined by an estimated 25.0%. Black residents' share of Thurston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Thurston County is more Black than neighboring Burt County (0.2% Black), and Dixon County (0% Black). Thurston County is less Black than neighboring Dakota County (8.7% Black), Cuming County (0.4% Black), and Woodbury County (4.9% Black).

Thurston County's Asian Population

93 residents of Thurston County, or 1.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Thurston County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Thurston County ranks 76th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 1062.5%. Asian residents' share of Thurston County's population has increased from 0.1% to 1.4%.

Thurston County is more Asian than neighboring Cuming County (0.3% Asian), Burt County (0.1% Asian), and Dixon County (0.1% Asian). Thurston County is less Asian than neighboring Dakota County (3% Asian), and Woodbury County (2.3% Asian).

Thurston County's Hispanic Population

322 residents of Thurston County, or 4.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Thurston County is lower than in Nebraska overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Thurston County ranks 51st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 23.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Thurston County's population has increased from 3.8% to 4.9%.

Thurston County is more Hispanic than neighboring Burt County (3.4% Hispanic). Thurston County is less Hispanic than neighboring Dakota County (41.6% Hispanic), Cuming County (12.4% Hispanic), Dixon County (15.8% Hispanic), and Woodbury County (19.1% Hispanic).

Thurston County's Native American/Other Population

3,564 residents of Thurston County, or 53.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Thurston County is significantly higher than in Nebraska overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Thurston County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 9.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Thurston County's population has decreased from 57.8% to 53.8%.

Thurston County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Dakota County (2.1% Native American/Other), Cuming County (0.6% Native American/Other), Burt County (1.8% Native American/Other), Dixon County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Woodbury County (2.3% Native American/Other).

Thurston County's Multiracial Population

233 residents of Thurston County, or 3.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Thurston County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Thurston County ranks 82nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Thurston County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 94.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Thurston County's population has increased from 1.8% to 3.5%.

Thurston County is more Multiracial than neighboring Dakota County (2.3% Multiracial), Cuming County (1.2% Multiracial), and Dixon County (2.5% Multiracial). Thurston County is less Multiracial than neighboring Burt County (4.1% Multiracial), and Woodbury County (4.3% 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.