Garfield County is a county in Nebraska, United States, centred on the North Loup River valley in the Sandhills region. It had a population of 1,813 at the 2020 census and covers 571 square miles (1,480 km2), centred near 41°53′N 98°59′W.
Burwell is the county seat; its postal code is 68823. The county has one incorporated city and a handful of small unincorporated communities. Garfield County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Garfield County
Garfield County has just one incorporated place, Burwell, plus a few unincorporated communities scattered across its ranch country. Nebraska has no civil-township government here, so the table below skips a township column. “Unincorp.” marks a place with no city or village government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burwell | City · seat | — | 68823 |
| Darenn | Unincorp. | — | 68823 |
| Deverre | Unincorp. | — | 68823 |
| Erina | Unincorp. | — | 68823 |
| Gables | Unincorp. | — | 68823 |
ZIP Codes
- 68823 — Burwell (also serves the rest of the county, including Darenn, Deverre, Erina and Gables)
Garfield County is small and rural enough that its single ZIP code covers every address in the county.
Geography
Garfield County lies in Nebraska’s Sandhills, a landscape of grass-stabilized dunes and cattle range that covers most of north-central Nebraska. The North Loup River crosses the southwestern corner of the county, and Calamus Reservoir sits just northwest of Burwell on the Calamus River, formed by the Calamus Dam. Of the county’s 571 square miles, 570 square miles are land and 1.6 square miles are water. The terrain is mostly rolling grass dunes with scattered ranch buildings and center-pivot irrigation circles along the river valleys; there are no incorporated places besides Burwell to break up the open range.
Garfield County borders Holt County to the north, Wheeler County to the east, Valley County to the south, Custer County to the southwest, and Loup County to the west.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 1,813 residents, down from earlier decades as the county’s ranching population has gradually aged and thinned. Burwell is by far the largest community; the remaining population is spread across ranches and the small unincorporated places of Darenn, Deverre, Erina and Gables. Garfield County’s median household income runs below the Nebraska median of $74,590, typical for a sparsely populated Sandhills ranching county where cattle income fluctuates with beef prices and weather. Population density is roughly 3 people per square mile, among the lowest of any Nebraska county, and the county is almost entirely rural with no urban-classified population at all.
Economy & Local Life
Cattle ranching drives the local economy, with Sandhills grassland supporting cow-calf operations across nearly every section of the county. Hay and pasture, not row crops, dominate land use because the sandy soil and rolling terrain are poorly suited to tillage. Calamus Reservoir and the surrounding state recreation area bring seasonal fishing, boating and camping traffic through Burwell, supporting a handful of local lodging, bait and fuel businesses. The Garfield County Fair and rodeo, held in Burwell each summer, is the county’s best-known annual event and draws visitors from across the surrounding Sandhills counties.
History
Garfield County was organized in 1884 and named for James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, who was assassinated in 1881, just three years before the county’s formation. The county was carved from Sandhills range country during Nebraska’s late-19th-century settlement wave, when homesteaders and cattle operations moved into the region following the North Loup and Calamus rivers. Burwell grew up as the county’s commercial center on the North Loup, and the later construction of Calamus Dam upstream in the 20th century reshaped the county’s northwestern corner into its present reservoir and recreation area.
Getting There
Nebraska Highway 11 and Nebraska Highway 91 both run through Burwell, the county’s only sizeable town.
- Ord, Nebraska (Valley County) — 20 miles south
- O’Neill, Nebraska (Holt County) — 40 miles north
- Broken Bow, Nebraska (Custer County) — 45 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island, about 90 miles southeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Garfield County, Nebraska?
It sits in the Sandhills region of north-central Nebraska, along the North Loup and Calamus rivers.
What is the population of Garfield County?
1,813 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Garfield County?
571 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 570 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Garfield County?
Burwell, the county’s only incorporated city.
How many towns are in Garfield County?
One incorporated city, Burwell, plus four small unincorporated communities: Darenn, Deverre, Erina and Gables.
What ZIP codes are in Garfield County?
The entire county is covered by ZIP code 68823 (Burwell).
What is Garfield County known for?
Cattle ranching and Calamus Reservoir, a popular Sandhills fishing and boating destination just outside Burwell.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.