Wayne County Demographics

A map of Wayne County's Population by Race

Wayne County, Nebraska has an estimated population of 9,844, a slight increase from the 9,697 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.4% White, 10.3% Hispanic, 2.2% Multiracial, 1.0% Black, 0.8% Native American/Other, and 0.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wayne County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wayne has become considerably 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 Wayne County, that probability was 33.5% in 2020 and 26.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wayne County is ranked the 27th most populous county in Nebraska, out of 93 counties. Wayne County was ranked the 27th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wayne County's White Population

8,405 residents of Wayne County, or 85.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wayne County is considerably higher than in Nebraska overall, where 75.3% of the population is White. Wayne County ranks 77th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's White population has grown by an estimated 7.4%. White residents' share of Wayne County's population has increased from 80.7% to 85.4%.

Wayne County is more White than neighboring Dixon County (80.9% White), and Cuming County (85.1% White). Wayne County is less White than neighboring Stanton County (89% White), Cedar County (95% White), and Pierce County (93.6% White).

Wayne County's Black Population

101 residents of Wayne County, or 1.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 4.6% of the population is Black. Wayne County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Black population has declined by an estimated 71.1%. Black residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 3.6% to 1.0%.

Wayne County is more Black than neighboring Stanton County (0.1% Black), Dixon County (0% Black), Cedar County (0.1% Black), Cuming County (0.4% Black), and Pierce County (0.4% Black).

Wayne County's Asian Population

30 residents of Wayne County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 2.6% of the population is Asian. Wayne County ranks 9th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 75.4%. Asian residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 1.3% to 0.3%.

Wayne County is more Asian than neighboring Dixon County (0.1% Asian), and Pierce County (0.2% Asian). Wayne County is less Asian than neighboring Stanton County (1.1% Asian).

Wayne County's Hispanic Population

1,012 residents of Wayne County, or 10.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Nebraska overall, where 12.7% of the population is Hispanic. Wayne County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 2.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 10.3%.

Wayne County is more Hispanic than neighboring Stanton County (7% Hispanic), Cedar County (2.5% Hispanic), and Pierce County (2.7% Hispanic). Wayne County is less Hispanic than neighboring Dixon County (15.8% Hispanic), and Cuming County (12.4% Hispanic).

Wayne County's Native American/Other Population

83 residents of Wayne County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Wayne County ranks 17th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 14.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Wayne County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Stanton County (0.1% Native American/Other), Dixon County (0.7% Native American/Other), Cedar County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Cuming County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Wayne County's Multiracial Population

213 residents of Wayne County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Nebraska overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Wayne County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 93 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 31.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 3.2% to 2.2%.

Wayne County is more Multiracial than neighboring Cedar County (1.7% Multiracial), and Cuming County (1.2% Multiracial). Wayne County is less Multiracial than neighboring Stanton County (2.7% Multiracial), Dixon County (2.5% Multiracial), and Pierce 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.