McPherson County, Nebraska Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids McPherson County
U.S. county
McPherson County Courthouse in Tryon
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1890
Named for	James B. McPherson
Seat	Tryon
Largest community	Tryon
Area
• Total	860 sq mi (2,200 km²)
• Land	859 sq mi (2,220 km²)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (3 km²) 0.1%%
Population (2020)
• Total	399
• Density	0.46/sq mi (0.18/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

McPherson County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 399, making it the least populous county in the state of Nebraska and the fifth-least populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Tryon. The county was formed in 1890 from Logan County; it was named for Civil War General James B. McPherson.

In 1913 a portion of McPherson County was partitioned off to create Arthur County, giving McPherson County its present boundaries.

McPherson County is part of the North Platte, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, McPherson County is represented by the prefix 90 (it ranked 90th of 93 counties in the number of vehicles registered when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
Communities
- Census-designated place
- Other unincorporated places
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 860 square miles (2,200 km²), of which 859 square miles (2,220 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

Nebraska Highway 92
Nebraska Highway 97

Adjacent counties

Hooker County - north
Thomas County - northeast
Logan County - east
Lincoln County - southeast
Keith County - southwest
Arthur County - west

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	401	—
1900	517	28.9%
1910	2,470	377.8%
1920	1,692	−31.5%
1930	1,358	−19.7%
1940	1,175	−13.5%
1950	825	−29.8%
1960	735	−10.9%
1970	623	−15.2%
1980	593	−4.8%
1990	546	−7.9%
2000	533	−2.4%
2010	539	1.1%
2020	399	−26.0%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 2020

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 533 people, 202 households, and 157 families in the county. The population density was 0.6 people per square mile (0.2/km²). There were 283 housing units at an average density of 0.3 per square mile (0.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.94% White, 0.38% Asian, 1.69% from other races. 1.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.4% were of German, 14.4% American, 9.2% Irish, 8.7% Swedish and 6.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 202 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.80% were married couples living together, 3.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% were non-families. 19.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.01.

The county population contained 27.60% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,750, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $25,192 versus $13,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,055. 16.20% of the population and 14.00% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 21.70% are under the age of 18 and 17.30% are 65 or older.