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Rock County
Rock County
County
	Rock County Courthouse in Bassett
	Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
	Nebraska's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 42°25′N 99°27′W / 42.42°N 99.45°W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1888
Named for	Rock Creek, or its rocky soil
Seat	Bassett
Largest city	Bassett
Area
• Total	1,012 sq mi (2,620 km2)
• Land	1,008 sq mi (2,610 km2)
• Water	3.4 sq mi (9 km2) 0.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	1,262
• Density	1.2/sq mi (0.48/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.rockcountynebraska.org

Rock County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,262.^[1] Its county seat is Bassett.^[2]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Rock County is represented by the prefix 81 (it had the 81st-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Geography

The Niobrara River flows eastward along the northern boundary line of Rock County. The terrain is composed of rolling hills oriented east–west. The county's central portion is dotted with small lakes. The land sees comparatively little agricultural use. The ground slopes to the northeast.^[3]^[4]

The county has a total area of 1,012 square miles (2,620 km²), of which 1,008 square miles (2,610 km²) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) (0.3%) is water.^[5]

Rock County is located in Nebraska's Outback region.^[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Keya Paha County - north
Boyd County - northeast
Holt County - east
Loup County - south
Brown County - west

National protected areas

John and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuge
Niobrara National Scenic River (part)
Twin Lakes Rock County Wildlife Management Area^[7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	3,083	—
1900	2,809	−8.9%
1910	3,627	29.1%
1920	3,703	2.1%
1930	3,366	−9.1%
1940	3,977	18.2%
1950	3,026	−23.9%
1960	2,554	−15.6%
1970	2,231	−12.6%
1980	2,383	6.8%
1990	2,019	−15.3%
2000	1,756	−13.0%
2010	1,526	−13.1%
2020	1,262	−17.3%
2022 (est.)	1,245	−1.3%
US Decennial Census^[8] 1790-1960^[9] 1900-1990^[10] 1990-2000^[11] 2010^[12] ^[13] 2020-2022^[12]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[14] there were 1,756 people, 763 households, and 501 families in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (0.77 people/km²). There were 935 housing units at an average density of 0.9 units per square mile (0.35/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.03% White, 0.46% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. 0.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.1% were of German, 12.7% American, 10.5% Irish and 8.4% English ancestry.

There were 763 households, out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.30% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

The county population contained 23.00% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 22.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,795, and the median income for a family was $29,917. Males had a median income of $24,167 versus $16,490 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,350. About 17.70% of families and 21.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.30% of those under age 18 and 14.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Rock County Public Schools operates the public schools in Rock County.

Communities

City

Bassett (county seat)

Village

Newport

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Rock County voters historically have been reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1916 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Rock County, Nebraska^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	745	89.22%	85	10.18%	5	0.60%
2020	744	88.36%	84	9.98%	14	1.66%
2016	687	86.09%	70	8.77%	41	5.14%
2012	672	85.17%	103	13.05%	14	1.77%
2008	640	79.90%	139	17.35%	22	2.75%
2004	740	83.81%	130	14.72%	13	1.47%
2000	725	81.10%	141	15.77%	28	3.13%
1996	564	63.73%	180	20.34%	141	15.93%
1992	588	59.57%	162	16.41%	237	24.01%
1988	757	79.10%	198	20.69%	2	0.21%
1984	873	85.34%	147	14.37%	3	0.29%
1980	855	80.74%	146	13.79%	58	5.48%
1976	732	72.55%	255	25.27%	22	2.18%
1972	937	87.16%	138	12.84%	0	0.00%
1968	791	76.72%	146	14.16%	94	9.12%
1964	835	68.95%	376	31.05%	0	0.00%
1960	1,084	81.08%	253	18.92%	0	0.00%
1956	928	76.76%	281	23.24%	0	0.00%
1952	1,226	82.12%	267	17.88%	0	0.00%
1948	809	64.00%	455	36.00%	0	0.00%
1944	984	66.04%	506	33.96%	0	0.00%
1940	1,104	64.79%	600	35.21%	0	0.00%
1936	944	56.46%	710	42.46%	18	1.08%
1932	613	42.42%	810	56.06%	22	1.52%
1928	1,034	77.11%	305	22.74%	2	0.15%
1924	585	47.33%	293	23.71%	358	28.96%
1920	621	70.17%	239	27.01%	25	2.82%
1916	375	42.66%	449	51.08%	55	6.26%
1912	230	26.47%	279	32.11%	360	41.43%
1908	469	56.37%	334	40.14%	29	3.49%
1904	498	70.64%	138	19.57%	69	9.79%
1900	481	65.71%	243	33.20%	8	1.09%