County · Nebraska

Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska

Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Scotts Bluff County had 35,586 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.4% since 2020, while Nebraska grew 2.9%. It holds 10 places (10 cities, villages and boroughs) and 11 census tracts. GEOID 31157.

Scotts Bluff County is one of the 2 counties of the Scottsbluff, NE micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

35,586

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 36,084 · ACS 2020-2024: 35,843

Median household income

$63,614

±$4,176 (90% margin)
Nebraska: $76,475

Median home value

$168,500

±$9,154 (90% margin)
Nebraska: $238,600

Median gross rent

$909

±$39 (90% margin)
Nebraska: $1,072

How many people live in Scotts Bluff County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 36,084 residents in Scotts Bluff County. The Census Bureau estimates 35,586 for July 1, 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, while Nebraska grew 2.9%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 35,843 over 740 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −145 (35,901)
2021→2022 −116 (35,785)
2022→2023 −84 (35,701)
2023→2024 −43 (35,658)
2024→2025 −72 (35,586)

Scotts Bluff County in Nebraska. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Scotts Bluff County	Nebraska	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	35,843	1,978,707	−231
Households	15,078±275	797,847	no clear change
Average household size	2.32±0.04	2.42	−0.08
Housing units	16,480±33	863,444	no clear change

Scotts Bluff County's population since 2000

From 36,951 in 2000 to 35,586 in 2025: down 3.7%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 36,951
2005 (estimate) 36,277
2010 Census 36,970
2015 (estimate) 36,273
2020 Census 36,084
2025 (estimate) 35,586

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Scotts Bluff County?

Scotts Bluff County holds 10 places: 10 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places). The largest is Scottsbluff with 14,259 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Scotts Bluff County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Scottsbluff	city	14,436	14,376±22	$56,359	$137,700	15.4%	100%
Gering	city	8,564	8,550±27	$75,093	$186,500	12.4%	100%
Mitchell	city	1,548	1,962±273	$54,150	$122,300	11.1%	100%
Terrytown	city	1,057	793±250	$43,618	$114,100	31.4%	100%
Morrill	village	934	880±181	$47,143	$141,400	15.7%	100%
Minatare	city	715	712±192	$38,125	$80,500	23.6%	100%
Lyman	village	259	291±94	$55,047	$68,300	20.3%	100%
HenryGEOID 3122150	village	125	94±42	$79,750	$92,500	3.2%	100%
MelbetaGEOID 3131570	village	108	146±65	$47,000	$90,000	10.3%	100%
McGrewGEOID 3130030	village	75	67±42	$35,833	$68,800	13.4%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Scotts Bluff County?

The median resident of Scotts Bluff County is 40.3 years old; 24.2% are under 18 and 20.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 70.7%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 23.9%. 4.4% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Scotts Bluff County	Nebraska	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	40.3±0.6	37.2	+0.8
Under 18 years	24.2%±0.1 pts	24.5%	–
65 years and over	20.9%±0.2 pts	16.7%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	23.9%	12.7%	+0.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	70.7%±0.6 pts	75.3%	−1.3 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.6%±0.2 pts	4.6%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.1 pts	2.6%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1.0%±0.3 pts	0.6%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.5%±0.5 pts	3.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.7%±0.5 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	4.4%±0.7 pts	8.0%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	10.9%±1.3 pts	12.8%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.7%±0.9 pts	6.9%	–
With a disability	15.1%±1.3 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	10.2%±1.4 pts	7.2%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	90.8%±1.3 pts	92.2%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	27.0%±2.0 pts	34.6%	+4.1 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	9.4%±1.2 pts	12.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.9%±0.9 pts	2.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Scotts Bluff County earn?

Half of Scotts Bluff County's 15,078 households earn less than $63,614 a year (±$4,176), against $76,475 in Nebraska. In 2015-2019 it was $61,221 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 12.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Scotts Bluff County	Nebraska	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$63,614±$4,176	$76,475	no clear change
Mean household income	$82,943±$5,614	$102,399	–
Per capita income	$36,688±$2,382	$41,751	no clear change
People below the poverty line	12.9%±2.0 pts	10.6%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	19.8%±5.1 pts	12.0%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	11.9%±1.9 pts	8.2%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	85.7%±2.1 pts	90.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Scotts Bluff County?

Owners occupy 69.3% of Scotts Bluff County's occupied homes and renters 30.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $168,500 by its owner (±$9,154). The median renter pays $909 a month including utilities, and 39.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Scotts Bluff County	Nebraska	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$168,500±$9,154	$238,600	no clear change
Median gross rent	$909±$39	$1,072	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	39.6%±5.1 pts	35.9%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,497±$82	$1,736	–
Owner-occupied homes	69.3%±2.6 pts	66.5%	no clear change
Housing units	16,480±33	863,444	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.4%±0.3 pts	0.6%	–
Rental vacancy rate	1.5%±1.7 pts	4.3%	–
Single-family detached homes	75.6%±2.1 pts	71.3%	–
Mobile homes	5.2%±1.1 pts	2.9%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.2%±0.2 pts	1.8%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	18.9%±2.2 pts	18.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Scotts Bluff County building?

Builders took permits for 40 new housing units across Scotts Bluff County in 2025 (36 single-family), 1.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 10 units
2020 9 units
2021 9 units
2022 43 units
2023 29 units
2024 44 units
2025 40 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Scotts Bluff County get to work?

81.9% of Scotts Bluff County's workers drive alone and 5.9% work from home. The average trip to work takes 15.6 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 2.7%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Scotts Bluff County	Nebraska	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	63.9%±1.7 pts	68.6%	–
Unemployment rate	2.7%±0.8 pts	3.0%	−2.4 pts
Drove alone to work	81.9%±2.5 pts	76.1%	–
Carpooled	8.6%±1.9 pts	8.7%	–
Public transportation	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.5%	–
Walked	1.8%±0.7 pts	2.3%	–
Worked from home	5.9%±1.3 pts	11.0%	+2.4 pts
Mean travel time to work	15.6 min±1.1	19.2 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Scotts Bluff County's census tracts?

Scotts Bluff County is divided into 11 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $35,463 (Tract 9537) to $81,890 (Tract 9539).

Census tracts of Scotts Bluff County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 952931157952900	Minatare (22%)	2,731	2,988±373	$73,649	$213,400	$628	7.7%
Tract 953031157953000	Mitchell (38%)	3,017	3,494±323	$70,229	$183,600	$1,035	8.2%
Tract 953131157953100	Morrill (25%)	2,232	2,204±201	$55,430	$146,600	$921	11.5%
Tract 953231157953200	McGrew (7%)	1,566	1,391±195	$78,750	$218,800	$646	13.5%
Tract 953331157953300	Scottsbluff (61%)	3,407	3,099±350	$55,938	$182,100	$943	6.9%
Tract 953431157953400	Scottsbluff (77%)	3,166	3,460±370	$75,613	$244,800	$1,262	6.8%
Tract 953531157953500	Scottsbluff	2,959	2,884±312	$52,468	$112,500	$907	18.4%
Tract 953631157953600	Scottsbluff (97%)	2,972	2,973±298	$63,899	$120,000	$1,014	3.3%
Tract 953731157953700	Scottsbluff (92%)	3,812	3,506±417	$35,463	$84,300	$948	35.1%
Tract 953831157953800	Gering (83%)	4,890	5,041±457	$65,938	$179,000	$742	19.3%
Tract 953931157953900	Gering (68%)	5,332	4,803±452	$81,890	$178,300	$985	7.3%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Scotts Bluff County compare with Nebraska's other counties?

Scotts Bluff County's rank among Nebraska's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	7th of 93
Growth 2020-2025	58th of 93
Residents per square mile	12th of 93
Median household income	68th of 93
Median home value	39th of 93
Median gross rent	19th of 93
Poverty rate	20th of 92
Bachelor's degree or higher	28th of 93
Median age	70th of 93

Every county in Nebraska

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Scotts Bluff County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.