Box Butte County, Nebraska: commercial real estate data.
Box Butte County, Nebraska had an estimated 10,703 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 10,833, across 1,075 square miles. County output reached $724.9 m in 2024, 291 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $1.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Box Butte County
How many people live in Box Butte County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202410,714
- Households4,505
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$68,892
- Median age41.5
- Median gross rent$752 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$166,600
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,401
- Population under 182,697
- Share under 1825.2 percent
- Population 65 and over2,227
- Share 65 and over20.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,790
- Civilian labor force5,236
- Unemployment rate1.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.3 percent
- Rank by population among Nebraska counties22nd of 93
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2437th of 3,222
Box Butte County is the 22nd largest of 93 Nebraska counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.2 percent against 20.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Box Butte County
Is Box Butte County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202410,703
- Census 2020 base population10,833
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.20 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-2
- Births, 2024117
- Deaths, 2024127
- Natural change, 2024-10
- Net domestic migration, 2024-53
- Net international migration, 202460
- Total net migration, 20247
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-218
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2265th of 3,144
The county has lost 1.20 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Box Butte County
Where are people moving to Box Butte County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving264
- People arriving, from those returns492
- Tax returns filed by households leaving237
- Net household movement27
- Adjusted gross income arriving$12.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-1.3 m
- Average income of an arriving household$45,542
- Average income of a leaving household$56,376
- Largest single originScotts Bluff County (36 households)
- Largest single destinationScotts Bluff County (29 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotts Bluff County | 36 | 81 | $1.2 m |
Households arriving report $10,834 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Scotts Bluff County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Box Butte County
What is the Box Butte County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$724.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$700.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.4 percent
- GDP change over five years20.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Nebraska areas BEA publishes34th of 93
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2112th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$67,655
Output grew 3.4 percent in the latest year and 20.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Box Butte County
Employment by industry in Box Butte County
- Covered employment, annual average3,720
- Establishments reporting365
- Average annual pay$46,253
- Average weekly wage$889
- Retail trade, employment440
- Retail trade, average annual pay$30,801
- Manufacturing, employment276
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$56,558
- Wholesale trade, employment276
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$57,584
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment242
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$50,628
- Construction, employment134
- Finance and insurance, employment124
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 440 | 40 | $30,801 |
| Manufacturing | 276 | 7 | $56,558 |
| Wholesale trade | 276 | 26 | $57,584 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 242 | 42 | $50,628 |
| Construction | 134 | 26 | $60,610 |
| Finance and insurance | 124 | 25 | $59,595 |
| Other services, except public administration | 121 | 30 | $28,030 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 85 | 19 | $51,535 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 440 jobs, 11.8 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Box Butte County
How many businesses are in Box Butte County?
- Establishments, all industries291
- Employment at those establishments2,699
- Annual payroll$126.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents27.2
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Box Butte County
Building permits in Box Butte County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$7,000
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Box Butte County
SBA loans in Box Butte County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$206,633
- Median 7(a) approval$82,900
- Largest single approval$800,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)33
- Jobs per approval5.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter6
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals16.7 percent
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$594,000
- Average 504 approval$594,000
- Median 504 approval$594,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval4.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved6.7
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$1.8 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Box Butte County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Box Butte County
Do SBA loans in Box Butte County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure6
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Box Butte County
SBA lending by place in Box Butte County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- Alliance, approvals3
- Hemingford, approvals3
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | 3 | $1,094,000 |
| Hemingford | 3 | $145,800 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Box Butte County
How large is Box Butte County?
- Land area1,075 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Nebraska counties13th of 93
- Width, east to west38.3 mi
- Height, north to south30.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land10
- Establishments per square mile0.27
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Box Butte County
Flood risk in Box Butte County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Box Butte County, unincorporated areasNot participating, community 310416
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP1
- NFIP participation rate50.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Box Butte County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Box Butte County (community 310416), does not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Box Butte County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 50.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Box Butte County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Box Butte County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202410,714
- Households4,505
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$68,892
- Median age41.5
Common questions
Box Butte County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Box Butte County, Nebraska?
The Census Bureau estimates 10,703 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 10,714, in 4,505 households, ranking 22nd of 93 Nebraska counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Box Butte County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.20 percent since the 2020 census base of 10,833, to 10,703 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 117 births against 127 deaths, with net migration of 7. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Box Butte County?
$68,892. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $166,600, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $752 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Box Butte County?
291 establishments, employing 2,699 people with an annual payroll of $126.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Box Butte County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 440 jobs, 11.8 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,720 jobs at an average annual pay of $46,253, or $889 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Box Butte County?
6 7(a) approvals totaling $1.2 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $82,900, plus 1 504 approvals worth $594,000 since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Box Butte County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Box Butte County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Box Butte County come from?
The largest single origin is Scotts Bluff County, with 36 households. Arriving households report an average income of $45,542 against $56,376 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Box Butte County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Box Butte County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Box Butte County
Cities and places in Box Butte.
3 Census places lie wholly or partly in Box Butte County. All 3 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance | city | 8,075 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Hemingford | village | 714 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Berea | CDP | 9 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby