Harlan County, Nebraska: commercial real estate data.
Harlan County, Nebraska had an estimated 3,018 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.8 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,073, across 553 square miles. County output reached $267.4 m in 2024, 87 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Harlan County
How many people live in Harlan County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,847
- Households1,197
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$70,625
- Median age47.3
- Median gross rent$657 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$145,800
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income11.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher29.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,045
- Population under 18623
- Share under 1821.9 percent
- Population 65 and over813
- Share 65 and over28.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,411
- Civilian labor force1,397
- Unemployment rate1.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.8 percent
- Rank by population among Nebraska counties67th of 93
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3043rd of 3,222
Harlan County is the 67th largest of 93 Nebraska counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 28.6 percent against 21.9 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Harlan County
Is Harlan County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20243,018
- Census 2020 base population3,073
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.79 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-28
- Births, 202430
- Deaths, 202446
- Natural change, 2024-16
- Net domestic migration, 2024-21
- Net international migration, 20248
- Total net migration, 2024-13
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202426
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2446th of 3,144
The county has lost 1.79 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Harlan County
Where are people moving to Harlan County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving76
- People arriving, from those returns159
- Tax returns filed by households leaving64
- Net household movement12
- Adjusted gross income arriving$4.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$1.5 m
- Average income of an arriving household$56,895
- Average income of a leaving household$44,000
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $12,895 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Harlan County
What is the Harlan County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$267.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$266.8 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20240.2 percent
- GDP change over five years53.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Nebraska areas BEA publishes63rd of 93
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2766th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$93,913
Output grew 0.2 percent in the latest year and 53.6 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.
Harlan County
Employment by industry in Harlan County
- Covered employment, annual average853
- Establishments reporting128
- Average annual pay$45,165
- Average weekly wage$869
- Retail trade, employment111
- Retail trade, average annual pay$27,155
- Construction, employment25
- Construction, average annual pay$36,092
- Manufacturing, employment17
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$22,691
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 111 | 17 | $27,155 |
| Construction | 25 | 5 | $36,092 |
| Manufacturing | 17 | 3 | $22,691 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 111 jobs, 13.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Harlan County
How many businesses are in Harlan County?
- Establishments, all industries87
- Employment at those establishments627
- Annual payroll$23.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents30.6
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.
Harlan County
Building permits in Harlan County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- 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.
Harlan County
SBA loans in Harlan County (7(a) and 504)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$168,000
- Average 504 approval$168,000
- Median 504 approval$168,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval16.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved95.2
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Harlan County
How large is Harlan County?
- Land area553 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Nebraska counties68th of 93
- Width, east to west23.9 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land5
- Establishments per square mile0.16
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.
Harlan County
Flood risk in Harlan County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Harlan County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 310442
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP6
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Harlan County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Harlan County (community 310442), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Harlan County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 85.7 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,847
- Households1,197
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$70,625
- Median age47.3
Common questions
Harlan County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Harlan County, Nebraska?
The Census Bureau estimates 3,018 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 2,847, in 1,197 households, ranking 67th of 93 Nebraska counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Harlan County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.79 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,073, to 3,018 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 30 births against 46 deaths, with net migration of -13. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Harlan County?
$70,625. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $145,800, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $657 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Harlan County?
87 establishments, employing 627 people with an annual payroll of $23.5 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 Harlan County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 111 jobs, 13.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 853 jobs at an average annual pay of $45,165, or $869 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Harlan 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 Harlan County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Harlan 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 Harlan 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.
Harlan County
Cities and places in Harlan.
7 Census places lie wholly or partly in Harlan County. All 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | city | 1,154 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Oxford | village | 652 | None recorded | 35.6 percent here, 64.4 percent Furnas County |
| Orleans | village | 337 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Stamford | village | 178 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Republican City | village | 92 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Huntley | village | 24 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ragan | village | 12 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby