Platte County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 34,296.^[1] Its county seat is Columbus.^[2] The county was created in 1855.^[3][4]

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Platte County
County
County of Platte
Platte County Courthouse
Interactive map of Platte County
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Established	January 26, 1856
Named for	Platte River
County seat	Columbus
Largest city	Columbus
Area
• Total	685 sq mi (1,770 km2)
• Land	674 sq mi (1,750 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  1.5%
Highest elevation	1,657 ft (505 m)
Lowest elevation	1,112 ft (339 m)
Population  (2020)	34,296
• Density	50.9/sq mi (19.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	402/531
FIPS code	31141
GNIS feature ID	835892
Website	www.plattecounty.net

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Platte County comprises the Columbus, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Platte County is represented by the prefix 10 (it had the 10th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Platte County was officially established in 1856 and the board of commissioners had its first meeting the following year.^[5]

Platte County had its first presumptive case of COVID-19 in late March 2020.^[6] As of Oct. 3, 2021, one in seven residents of the county have tested positive for COVID-19^[7] and 40% of all residents are vaccinated.^[8]

The Platte River flows eastward along the south line of Platte County. The Loup River also flows eastward and east-southeastward through the lower section of the county, discharging into the Platte River near Columbus. The Platte County terrain consists of low rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, sloping to the east-southeast.^[9]

The county has an area of 685 square miles (1,770 km²), of which 674 square miles (1,750 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.5%) is water.^[10]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[17] there were 31,662 people, 12,076 households, and 8,465 families in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18 people/km²). There were 12,916 housing units at an average density of 19 units per square mile (7.3 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.29% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.49% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 6.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,076 households, out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.14.

The county population contained 29.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,359, and the median income for a family was $47,776. Males had a median income of $30,672 versus $21,842 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,064. About 5.40% of families and 7.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

• James Keogh, executive editor of Time magazine and the head of the White House speechwriting staff under Richard M. Nixon^[18]

Platte County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only one election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Platte County, Nebraska