Howard County, Nebraska: commercial real estate data.
Howard County, Nebraska had an estimated 6,572 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 6,473, across 569 square miles. County output reached $288.3 m in 2024, 176 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $150,000 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Howard County
How many people live in Howard County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20246,534
- Households2,504
- Average household size2.61
- Median household income$76,767
- Median age42.2
- Median gross rent$777 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$209,100
- Home value to household income2.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over4,468
- Population under 181,648
- Share under 1825.2 percent
- Population 65 and over1,481
- Share 65 and over22.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 643,405
- Civilian labor force3,306
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over67.7 percent
- Rank by population among Nebraska counties45th of 93
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2774th of 3,222
Howard County is the 45th largest of 93 Nebraska counties by population. A median home costs 2.7 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.2 percent against 22.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Howard County
Is Howard County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20246,572
- Census 2020 base population6,473
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.53 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20248
- Births, 202485
- Deaths, 202476
- Natural change, 20249
- Net domestic migration, 2024-3
- Net international migration, 20242
- Total net migration, 2024-1
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202452
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1321st of 3,144
The county has grown 1.53 percent since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 by more than net migration took away, so the population grew even though more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Howard County
Where are people moving to Howard County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving144
- People arriving, from those returns260
- Tax returns filed by households leaving104
- Net household movement40
- Adjusted gross income arriving$7.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$2.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$51,708
- Average income of a leaving household$52,625
- Largest single originHall County (53 households)
- Largest single destinationHall County (46 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall County | 53 | 98 | $3.1 m |
Households arriving report $917 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Hall 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.
Howard County
What is the Howard County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$288.3 m
- County GDP, 2023$312.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-7.9 percent
- GDP change over five years23.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Nebraska areas BEA publishes62nd of 93
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2726th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$44,124
Output grew -7.9 percent in the latest year and 23.5 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.
Howard County
Employment by industry in Howard County
- Covered employment, annual average1,570
- Establishments reporting214
- Average annual pay$43,289
- Average weekly wage$832
- Retail trade, employment208
- Retail trade, average annual pay$25,895
- Health care and social assistance, employment159
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$35,273
- Wholesale trade, employment121
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$55,520
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment82
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$55,635
- Finance and insurance, employment75
- Other services, except public administration, employment59
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 208 | 24 | $25,895 |
| Health care and social assistance | 159 | 15 | $35,273 |
| Wholesale trade | 121 | 22 | $55,520 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 82 | 20 | $55,635 |
| Finance and insurance | 75 | 15 | $50,361 |
| Other services, except public administration | 59 | 14 | $35,239 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 208 jobs, 13.2 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Howard County
How many businesses are in Howard County?
- Establishments, all industries176
- Employment at those establishments1,076
- Annual payroll$46.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.9
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.
Howard County
Building permits in Howard County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202417
- Declared construction value permitted$4.0 m
- Single family units authorized17
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$234,918
- Units authorized per 1,000 households6.8
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Howard County
SBA loans in Howard County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$150,000
- Average 7(a) approval$150,000
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- Largest single approval$150,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4
- Jobs per approval4.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- 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 shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$2.4 m
- Average 504 approval$1,184,500
- Median 504 approval$1,184,500
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval4.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved3.4
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$2.5 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.
Howard County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Howard County
Do SBA loans in Howard County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
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.
Howard County
How large is Howard County?
- Land area569 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Nebraska counties62nd of 93
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land11
- Establishments per square mile0.31
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.
Howard County
Flood risk in Howard County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Howard County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 310446
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book8
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate62.5 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Howard 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 Howard County (community 310446), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Howard 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. 62.5 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 Howard 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 Howard County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20246,534
- Households2,504
- Average household size2.61
- Median household income$76,767
- Median age42.2
Common questions
Howard County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Howard County, Nebraska?
The Census Bureau estimates 6,572 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 6,534, in 2,504 households, ranking 45th of 93 Nebraska counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Howard County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.53 percent since the 2020 census base of 6,473, to 6,572 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 85 births against 76 deaths, with net migration of -1. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Howard County?
$76,767. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $209,100, which is 2.7 times income, and median gross rent is $777 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Howard County?
176 establishments, employing 1,076 people with an annual payroll of $46.9 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 Howard County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 208 jobs, 13.2 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,570 jobs at an average annual pay of $43,289, or $832 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Howard County?
1 7(a) approvals totaling $150,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $2.4 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Howard County?
17 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Howard 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 Howard County come from?
The largest single origin is Hall County, with 53 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,708 against $52,625 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Howard 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 Howard 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.
Howard County
Cities and places in Howard.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Howard County. All 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Paul | city | 2,758 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| St. Libory | CDP | 307 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Dannebrog | village | 235 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Howard City (Boelus) | village | 186 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Elba | village | 171 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cushing | village | 112 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Farwell | village | 78 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cotesfield | village | 27 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby