Saline County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 14,292.^[1] Its county seat is Wilber.^[2]

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Saline County
County
County of Saline
Saline County Courthouse in Wilber
Interactive map of Saline County
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Established	March 16, 1855
Organized	February 18, 1867
County seat	Wilber
Largest city	Crete
Area
• Total	576 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	574 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,292
• Density	25/sq mi (9.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	402/531
FIPS code	31151
GNIS feature ID	835897
Website	www.co.saline.ne.us

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In the Nebraska license plate system, Saline County is represented by the prefix 22 (it had the twenty-second-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

Saline County was formed in 1855 and organized in 1867.^[3][4] The first permanent settler arrived in 1858.^[5]

The terrain of Saline County is composed of low rolling hills, sloping to the east-southeast.^[6] Most of the county's area is devoted to agriculture. The Big Blue River flows southward in the eastern part of the county. The middle and southern parts of the county are drained by Swan Creek and Turkey Creek, which combine and discharge into Big Blue River at the county's east boundary line close to its SE corner.^[7] The county has an area of 576 square miles (1,490 km²), of which 574 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[8]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[15] there were 13,843 people, 5,188 households, and 3,507 families in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9.3 people/km²). There were 5,611 housing units at an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.99% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.70% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.40% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 6.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,188 households, out of which 32.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.04.

The county population contained 25.10% under the age of 18, 12.30% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,914, and the median income for a family was $44,199. Males had a median income of $30,467 versus $22,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,287. About 6.40% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

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