Nuckolls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 4,095.^[1] Its county seat is Nelson.^[2]

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Nuckolls County
County
Nuckolls County Courthouse in Nelson
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°11′N 98°03′W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1860 (founded) 1871 (organized)
Named for	Stephen Friel Nuckolls
Seat	Nelson
Largest city	Superior
Area
• Total	576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.1%
Population
• Estimate  (2021)	4,060
• Density	7.43/sq mi (2.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.nuckollscounty.ne.gov

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In the Nebraska license plate system, Nuckolls County is represented by the prefix 42 (it had the 42nd-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Nuckolls County lies on the south line of Nebraska. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of Kansas. The Republican River flows southeastward through the SW corner of the county The upper county area is drained by two creeks, Elk Creek and Oxbow Creek, that flow northeastward to discharge into Crooked Creek, which then flows eastward into adjacent Thayer County. The Nuckolls County terrain consists of vegetation-covered rolling hills, sloped to the east. A portion of the area is dedicated to agriculture, especially in the northeast corner.^[7]

Nuckolls county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,490 km²), of which 575 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (0.1%) is water.^[8]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[15] there were 5,057 people, 2,218 households, and 1,443 families in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile (3.5 people/km²). There were 2,530 housing units at an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.91% White, 0.02% Black or African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,218 households, out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 4.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.90% were non-families. 32.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.00% 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 2.86.

The county population contained 23.40% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 24.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,958, and the median income for a family was $35,018. Males had a median income of $24,533 versus $17,806 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,608. About 6.50% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.70% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Nuckolls County voters are reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Nuckolls County NE