Platte County, NE
County Profile
34,716 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Platte County, NE.
Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesUnemployment is 2.4% and median household income $71,552, putting employment conditions in the middle range of counties measured.
In the public schools here, 52% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.6 students for every teacher.
Residential permitting has slowed: 168 units authorized over the past twelve months, 50% below the prior year. That follows a longer stretch moving the other way, through 2025.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 2.4%, lower than in 98% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment fell 1.4% over the past year, to 18,468 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $50,365 | 22nd percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $58,370 | 52nd percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$4,2142024 ACS 5-Year | $71,552 | Top 33%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,5442024 ACS 5-Year | $36,874 | Top 39%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per-capita personal income2023 | $61,643 | Top 32%of 1,389 | 2023 |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.4% | Top 22%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 17.3 min | Top 6%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 23.0% | Top 47%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.0% | 68th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 18,468 | Bottom 28%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +0.4% | Top 45%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −1.4% | Bottom 34%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 18,925 | 27th percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.2% | Top 6%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.0%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 28th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −0.3% | Top 40%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 2.4% | Top 2%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.3% | 19th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
52% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 47% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.6 students for every full-time teacher across 15 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus High School | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 1,337 | 17.4 | 49% | 39% |
| Columbus Middle School | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 1,166 | 15.8 | 47% | 41% |
| Shell Creek Elementary School | LAKEVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | 373 | 13.8 | 67% | 57% |
| Centennial Elementary School | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 353 | 14.1 | 62% | 72% |
| Lakeview High School | LAKEVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | 344 | 13.2 | 47% | 37% |
| Lost Creek Elementary Sch | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 318 | 12.7 | 52% | 57% |
| North Park Elementary | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 304 | 16.0 | 52% | 57% |
| Emerson Elementary School | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 286 | 20.4 | 52% | 37% |
| West Park Elementary | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 215 | 15.4 | 47% | 57% |
| Humphrey Elementary School | HUMPHREY PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 177 | 12.6 | 67% | 62% |
| Kramer Education Center | COLUMBUS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | 170 | 24.3 | — | — |
| Platte Center Elementary School | LAKEVIEW COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | 168 | 15.3 | 62% | 42% |
49.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Nebraska’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Nebraska is up 46% over five years, and up 3.4% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,885 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.29% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,061, some 18% above the $897 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,061 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $42,400 a year, about 59% of the median household income here of $71,552.
The typical renter household here spends 25% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $897 a month.
A median home at $223,900 costs 2.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $87,560, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Platte County’s median household income of $71,552, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Nebraska’s figure2026 Q2 | +3.4% | 43rd percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Nebraska’s figure2026 Q2 | +45.6% | 54th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Nebraska’s figure2026 Q2 | +86.2% | 34th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.6 | Bottom 47%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.6% | 35th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±312024 ACS 5-Year | 14,325 | 54th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $809 | Top 27%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,399 | Top 38%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,061 | Top 35%of 1,423 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$672024 ACS 5-Year | $897 | Bottom 45%of 3,215 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$7,7722024 ACS 5-Year | $223,900 | 65th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1152024 ACS 5-Year | $2,885 | 84th percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$6,3602024 ACS 5-Year | $87,560 | Top 28%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.29% | 81st percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.6% | Top 23%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±732024 ACS 5-Year | 87 | 17th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.6% | 15th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.0% | 8th percentileof 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2202024 ACS 5-Year | 667 | 19th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 35,499 in 2024.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 35,499 residents in 2024, up 1.3% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 168 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 18% are in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Platte County lost about 0.6% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $50,365, below the $58,370 of households that moved out.
At 4.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Colfax County, NE 230 people · 17% of arrivals
- Lancaster County, NE 90 people · 6.8% of arrivals
- Butler County, NE 76 people · 5.7% of arrivals
- Madison County, NE 65 people · 4.9% of arrivals
- Douglas County, NE 64 people · 4.8% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Douglas County, NE 175 people · 11% of departures
- Lancaster County, NE 140 people · 9.2% of departures
- Colfax County, NE 113 people · 7.4% of departures
- Butler County, NE 93 people · 6.1% of departures
- Madison County, NE 78 people · 5.1% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 14°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 28.7 inches, including 25.6 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 28.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 25.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 14°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 87°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 53°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and hail, with inland flooding alone responsible for 32% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: drought, wildfire, cold wave, lightning, earthquake, landslide, avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Platte County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.5 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 14.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 0.0 per 100,000 residents in Platte County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe Platte County as a whole. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Lincoln at 64 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 88.7% | Top 36%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 64 mi | Bottom 18%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 3 | Bottom 35%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 8.4% | Top 34%of 3,221 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | LNK | 64 mi | 8,649 ft |
| Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day Fld | SUX | 81 mi | 9,002 ft |
| Eppley Airfield | OMA | 86 mi | 9,502 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Income | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.