McPherson County, Nebraska

County in Nebraska, United States

U.S. county in Nebraska

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
Website| www.mcphersoncounty.ne.gov

McPherson County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 399,[1] 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.[2] The county was formed in 1890 from Logan County; it was named for Civil War General James B. McPherson.[3]

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).

## Contents

* 1 Geography
* 1.1 Adjacent counties
* 1.2 Major highways
* 2 Demographics
* 3 Communities
* 3.1 Cities and towns
* 3.2 Former communities
* 4 Politics
* 5 References

## Geography

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The terrain of McPherson County consists of low rolling hills sloping to the south-southeast. A small portion of the area is under center pivot irrigation.[4] 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.[5]

Most of Nebraska's 93 counties (the eastern 2/3, including McPherson County) observe Central Time; the western counties observe Mountain Time. McPherson County is the westernmost of the Nebraska counties to observe Central Time.[6]

### Adjacent counties

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* Hooker County \- north
* Thomas County \- northeast
* Logan County \- east
* Lincoln County \- southeast
* Keith County \- southwest (boundary of Mountain Time)
* Arthur County \- west (boundary of Mountain Time)

### Major highways

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* Nebraska Highway 92
* Nebraska Highway 97

## Demographics

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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[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[11] 2020[12]

As of the 2000 United States Census,[13] 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.

## Communities

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### Cities and towns

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* Tryon (county seat)
* Ringgold

### Former communities

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* Flats[14]

## Politics

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McPherson County voters have been strongly Republican since the beginning. In only two national elections since 1900 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020). In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton had the worst showing for a major party Presidential candidate in the county's history, tallying just 14 votes for only 4.9%. She had accumulated less votes than any third-party or write-in votes, making it the only county in Nebraska for this to happen.

United States presidential election results for McPherson County, Nebraska[15][16] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 275  | 91.06% | 17  | 5.63%  | 10  | 3.31%
2016 | 257  | 89.55% | 14  | 4.88%  | 16  | 5.57%
2012 | 237  | 81.44% | 41  | 14.09%  | 13  | 4.47%
2008 | 240  | 81.91% | 45  | 15.36%  | 8  | 2.73%
2004 | 259  | 83.01% | 49  | 15.71%  | 4  | 1.28%
2000 | 244  | 81.06% | 48  | 15.95%  | 9  | 2.99%
1996 | 233  | 72.36% | 50  | 15.53%  | 39  | 12.11%
1992 | 217  | 65.96% | 49  | 14.89%  | 63  | 19.15%
1988 | 229  | 78.42% | 60  | 20.55%  | 3  | 1.03%
1984 | 295  | 82.87% | 57  | 16.01%  | 4  | 1.12%
1980 | 285  | 83.09% | 49  | 14.29%  | 9  | 2.62%
1976 | 221  | 66.37% | 104  | 31.23%  | 8  | 2.40%
1972 | 247  | 85.47% | 42  | 14.53%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 236  | 76.13% | 40  | 12.90%  | 34  | 10.97%
1964 | 219  | 67.80% | 104  | 32.20%  | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 303  | 81.89% | 67  | 18.11%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 281  | 74.14% | 98  | 25.86%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 355  | 87.01% | 53  | 12.99%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 209  | 68.08% | 98  | 31.92%  | 0  | 0.00%
1944 | 310  | 72.43% | 118  | 27.57%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 414  | 71.63% | 164  | 28.37%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 326  | 55.82% | 250  | 42.81%  | 8  | 1.37%
1932 | 291  | 43.50%  | 367  | 54.86% | 11  | 1.64%
1928 | 419  | 84.31% | 69  | 13.88%  | 9  | 1.81%
1924 | 213  | 40.34% | 96  | 18.18%  | 219  | 41.48%
1920 | 229  | 70.03% | 75  | 22.94%  | 23  | 7.03%
1916 | 106  | 33.33%  | 184  | 57.86% | 28  | 8.81%
1912 | 114  | 19.76%  | 180  | 31.20%  | 283  | 49.05%
1908 | 234  | 54.67% | 165  | 38.55%  | 29  | 6.78%
1904 | 108  | 80.60% | 12  | 8.96%  | 14  | 10.45%
1900 | 85  | 59.86% | 54  | 38.03%  | 3  | 2.11%

## References

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1. ^ Bureau, US Census. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. p. 195.
4. ^ McPherson County NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
6. ^ Map of Time Zone Line through Nebraska (accessed 22 January 2019)
7. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
11. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
12. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
13. ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
14. ^ Flats NE Google Maps (accessed 23 January 2019)
15. ^ Election Results
16. ^ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Bob La Follette, received 207 votes, while Prohibition candidate Herman P. Faris received 12 votes.

Places adjacent to McPherson County, Nebraska

| Grant County | Hooker County | Thomas County

|
|

|  |
Arthur County |

McPherson County, Nebraska

| Logan County
|  |
Keith County | Lincoln County | Lincoln County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of McPherson County, Nebraska, United States

County seat: Tryon

CDP|

* Tryon

Map of Nebraska highlighting McPherson County

Unincorporated
communities|

* Flats
* Ringgold

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Nebraska

Lincoln (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* Government
* Governors
* Lt. Governors
* Legislature
* Speakers of the Legislature
* State Senators
* Congressional districts maps
* History
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Crime
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Elections
* Politics

Regions|

* Dissected Till Plains
* Grand Island metropolitan area
* Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area
* Lincoln metropolitan area
* Omaha metropolitan area
* Panhandle
* Pine Ridge
* Rainwater Basin
* Sandhills
* Siouxland
* Wildcat Hills

Largest cities|

* Alliance
* Beatrice
* Bellevue
* Columbus
* Fremont
* Gering
* Grand Island
* Hastings
* Kearney
* La Vista
* Lexington
* Lincoln
* McCook
* Norfolk
* North Platte
* Omaha
* Papillion
* Scottsbluff
* South Sioux City
* York

Counties|

* Adams
* Antelope
* Arthur
* Banner
* Blaine
* Boone
* Box Butte
* Boyd
* Brown
* Buffalo
* Burt
* Butler
* Cass
* Cedar
* Chase
* Cherry
* Cheyenne
* Clay
* Colfax
* Cuming
* Custer
* Dakota
* Dawes
* Dawson
* Deuel
* Dixon
* Dodge
* Douglas
* Dundy
* Fillmore
* Franklin
* Frontier
* Furnas
* Gage
* Garden
* Garfield
* Gosper
* Grant
* Greeley
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Harlan
* Hayes
* Hitchcock
* Holt
* Hooker
* Howard
* Jefferson
* Johnson
* Kearney
* Keith
* Keya Paha
* Kimball
* Knox
* Lancaster
* Lincoln
* Logan
* Loup
* Madison
* McPherson
* Merrick
* Morrill
* Nance
* Nemaha
* Nuckolls
* Otoe
* Pawnee
* Perkins
* Phelps
* Pierce
* Platte
* Polk
* Red Willow
* Richardson
* Rock
* Saline
* Sarpy
* Saunders
* Scotts Bluff
* Seward
* Sheridan
* Sherman
* Sioux
* Stanton
* Thayer
* Thomas
* Thurston
* Valley
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Wheeler
* York

Coordinates: 41°34′N 101°04′W﻿ / ﻿41.57°N 101.06°W﻿ / 41.57; -101.06
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
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