Burt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska, bordering the west bank of the upper Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,722, and was estimated to be 6,678 in 2025. The county seat and the largest city is Tekamah.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Burt County was represented by the prefix "31" (as it had the 31st-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History Burt County was created on November 23, 1854 and named after Francis Burt, the first governor of Nebraska Territory.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.10%) is water. It is the 76th-largest county in Nebraska by total area. Its east boundary line is formed by the western border of the state of Iowa, a boundary mostly aligning with the Missouri River. Because of shifts in the river over time, small portions of the county are now located on the eastern bank of the river.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 75 U.S. Highway 77 Nebraska Highway 32 Nebraska Highway 51

Adjacent counties

Thurston County - north Monona County, Iowa - northeast Harrison County, Iowa - southeast Washington County - south Dodge County - southwest Cuming County - west

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,722. The median age was 47.2 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,851 households in the county, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,324 housing units, of which 14.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.7% were owner-occupied and 23.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%.

2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 7,791 people, 3,155 households, and 2,240 families in the county. The population density was . There were 3,723 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.63% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.7% were of German, 13.9% Swedish, 10.1% Irish, 8.8% American, 7.0% English and 5.4% Danish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 3,155 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.30% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.93.

The county population contained 25.70% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 21.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,954, and the median income for a family was $40,515. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $20,663 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,654. About 6.60% of families and 8.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.80% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities Cities Lyons Oakland Tekamah (county seat)

Villages Craig Decatur

Unincorporated communities Arizona Bertha

Townships

Arizona Bell Creek Craig Decatur Everett Logan Oakland Pershing Quinnebaugh Riverside Silver Creek Summit

Ghost towns Argo Basford

Politics Burt County voters have historically voted Republican. No Democratic Party candidate has carried the county in a national election since 1936.The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,003 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 41 votes and Prohibition Eugene Chafin received 20 votes. Political Party Number of registered voters (March 1, 2026) Percent Republican 2,859 59.54% Democratic 955 19.89% Independent 902 18.78% Libertarian 57 1.19% Legal Marijuana Now 29 0.60%Total 4,802 100.00%

Education School districts include: - Text list Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools #20, Bancroft Logan View Public Schools #594, Hooper Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools #20, Lyons Oakland-Craig Public Schools #14, Oakland Tekamah-Herman Community Schools #1, Tekamah

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Burt County, Nebraska

References