Red Willow County, Nebraska: commercial real estate data.
Red Willow County, Nebraska had an estimated 10,409 residents on July 1, 2024, down 2.7 percent since the 2020 census base of 10,702, across 717 square miles. County output reached $736.8 m in 2024, 400 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 13 7(a) approvals worth $2.7 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Red Willow County
How many people live in Red Willow County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202410,557
- Households4,504
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$63,697
- Median age41.6
- Median gross rent$819 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$159,600
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,274
- Population under 182,367
- Share under 1822.4 percent
- Population 65 and over2,220
- Share 65 and over21.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 645,970
- Civilian labor force5,364
- Unemployment rate1.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.5 percent
- Rank by population among Nebraska counties24th of 93
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2450th of 3,222
Red Willow County is the 24th largest of 93 Nebraska counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.4 percent against 21.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Red Willow County
Is Red Willow County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202410,409
- Census 2020 base population10,702
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.74 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-103
- Births, 2024108
- Deaths, 2024159
- Natural change, 2024-51
- Net domestic migration, 2024-67
- Net international migration, 202414
- Total net migration, 2024-53
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-154
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2689th of 3,144
The county has lost 2.74 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.
Red Willow County
Where are people moving to Red Willow County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving226
- People arriving, from those returns395
- Tax returns filed by households leaving281
- Net household movement-55
- Adjusted gross income arriving$11.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-379,000
- Average income of an arriving household$51,235
- Average income of a leaving household$42,555
- Largest single originHitchcock County (23 households)
- Largest single destinationLancaster County (33 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hitchcock County | 23 | 52 | $999,000 |
Households arriving report $8,680 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Hitchcock 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.
Red Willow County
What is the Red Willow County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$736.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$782.2 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-5.8 percent
- GDP change over five years28.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Nebraska areas BEA publishes33rd of 93
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2091st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$69,788
Output grew -5.8 percent in the latest year and 28.8 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.
Red Willow County
Employment by industry in Red Willow County
- Covered employment, annual average4,964
- Establishments reporting445
- Average annual pay$47,527
- Average weekly wage$914
- Retail trade, employment726
- Retail trade, average annual pay$32,852
- Accommodation and food services, employment542
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$19,694
- Manufacturing, employment384
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$63,116
- Wholesale trade, employment306
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$64,460
- Construction, employment220
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment198
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 726 | 61 | $32,852 |
| Accommodation and food services | 542 | 34 | $19,694 |
| Manufacturing | 384 | 7 | $63,116 |
| Wholesale trade | 306 | 32 | $64,460 |
| Construction | 220 | 37 | $50,207 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 198 | 29 | $43,423 |
| Finance and insurance | 190 | 28 | $68,446 |
| Other services, except public administration | 146 | 33 | $25,176 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 726 jobs, 14.6 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Red Willow County
How many businesses are in Red Willow County?
- Establishments, all industries400
- Employment at those establishments3,848
- Annual payroll$173.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents37.9
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.
Red Willow County
Building permits in Red Willow County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202417
- Declared construction value permitted$4.2 m
- Single family units authorized11
- Multifamily units authorized6
- Multifamily share of units35.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$249,412
- Units authorized per 1,000 households3.8
Single-family homes are 64.7 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Red Willow County
SBA loans in Red Willow County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded13
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$2.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$210,085
- Median 7(a) approval$153,200
- Largest single approval$500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)136
- Jobs per approval10.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals11
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer7.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter11
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals7.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFuneral Homes and Funeral Services (3)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$3.0 m
- Average 504 approval$994,000
- Median 504 approval$1,144,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval9.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.4
- Most active CDCNebraska Economic Development Corporation (3)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$5.7 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.
Red Willow County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Red Willow County
Do SBA loans in Red Willow County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded3
- Paid in full3
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Paid in full3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 3 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.
Red Willow County
How large is Red Willow County?
- Land area717 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Nebraska counties35th of 93
- Width, east to west29.9 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land15
- Establishments per square mile0.56
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.
Red Willow County
Flood risk in Red Willow County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Red Willow County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 310469
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate80.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Red Willow 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 Red Willow County (community 310469), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Red Willow 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. 80.0 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 Red Willow 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 Red Willow County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202410,557
- Households4,504
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$63,697
- Median age41.6
Common questions
Red Willow County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Red Willow County, Nebraska?
The Census Bureau estimates 10,409 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 10,557, in 4,504 households, ranking 24th of 93 Nebraska counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Red Willow County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.74 percent since the 2020 census base of 10,702, to 10,409 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 108 births against 159 deaths, with net migration of -53. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Red Willow County?
$63,697. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $159,600, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $819 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Red Willow County?
400 establishments, employing 3,848 people with an annual payroll of $173.1 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 Red Willow County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 726 jobs, 14.6 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 4,964 jobs at an average annual pay of $47,527, or $914 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Red Willow County?
13 7(a) approvals totaling $2.7 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $153,200, plus 3 504 approvals worth $3.0 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Red Willow County?
17 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.2 m. Multifamily was 35.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Red Willow 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.
Where do people moving to Red Willow County come from?
The largest single origin is Hitchcock County, with 23 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,235 against $42,555 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Red Willow 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 Red Willow 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.
Red Willow County
Cities and places in Red Willow.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Red Willow County. All 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCook | city | 7,314 | 13 | Wholly in this county |
| Indianola | city | 512 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bartley | village | 352 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Danbury | village | 70 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lebanon | village | 33 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby