Holt County is a county in Nebraska, United States, on the sandhills-and-farmland transition east of the Niobrara River country. It had a population of 10,127 at the 2020 census and covers 2,417 square miles (6,261 km2), with 5.6 square miles (14.6 km2) of water, centred near 42°27′33″N 98°47′05″W.
O’Neill is the county seat, and its postal code is 68763. The county has 2 incorporated cities, 6 incorporated villages and a scattering of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Holt County
Holt County has 8 incorporated places — 2 cities and 6 villages — plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities, several of them named informal trailer courts that never grew beyond a handful of homes. “Unincorp.” in the table below means the place has no city or village government of its own.
| Place | Type | Pop. |
|---|---|---|
| O’Neill | City · seat | 3,581 |
| Atkinson | City | — |
| Chambers | Village | — |
| Emmet | Village | — |
| Ewing | Village | — |
| Inman | Village | — |
| Page | Village | — |
| Stuart | Village | — |
| Amelia | Unincorp. | — |
| Anncar | Unincorp. | — |
| Catalpa | Unincorp. | — |
| Deloit | Unincorp. | — |
| Dorsey | Unincorp. | — |
| Douthit Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — |
| Dustin | Unincorp. | — |
| Inez | Unincorp. | — |
| Kaup Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — |
| Kipples Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — |
| Knievels Corner | Unincorp. | — |
| McDonalds Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — |
| Meek | Unincorp. | — |
| Midway | Unincorp. | — |
| Opportunity | Unincorp. | — |
| Paddock | Unincorp. | — |
| Redbird | Unincorp. | — |
| Stafford | Unincorp. | — |
| Star | Unincorp. | — |
| Swan Lake | Unincorp. | — |
| Waymanns Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — |
| Wilson Ranch | Unincorp. | — |
| Zaks Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — |
The old listing repeated O’Neill a second time as “ONeill” without the apostrophe; that duplicate has been dropped since it is the same place as the county seat entry above.
ZIP Codes
- 68763 — O’Neill (county seat)
Every other incorporated village in the county keeps its own ZIP code tied to its post office, but those codes are not independently confirmed here and are omitted rather than guessed; check the individual town’s post office for its current code.
Geography
Holt County lies in north-central Nebraska on rolling grassland and sandhill terrain, drained by the Elkhorn River and its North Fork, which cross the county roughly west to east. Land covers 2,411.9 square miles of the county’s 2,417.5-square-mile total, making it one of the largest counties in Nebraska by area, with water making up under one percent of that total.
Holt County borders Boyd County to the north, Keya Paha County to the northwest, Rock County to the west, Loup County to the southwest, Garfield County and Wheeler County to the south, and Antelope County and Knox County to the east.
Demographics
Holt County had 10,127 residents at the 2020 census, spread across 2,411.9 square miles of land for a density of about 4.2 people per square mile — sparse even by rural Nebraska standards. O’Neill, the county seat, is the largest community at 3,581 residents, followed by Atkinson as the county’s second-largest incorporated place. Rural Nebraska counties like Holt typically post household incomes below the Nebraska median of $74,590; no county-specific figure is verified here, so no dollar amount is published for Holt County itself.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture drives the county’s economy: cattle ranching on sandhill grassland, and center-pivot-irrigated corn and soybeans over the Ogallala Aquifer to the county’s south and west. O’Neill, settled in 1874 by Irish immigrants under General John O’Neill, still markets itself as the “Irish Capital of Nebraska” and holds an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration that draws visitors from across the region. Avera Holt County Memorial Hospital in O’Neill is the county’s main health-care provider.
History
Holt County was created on January 9, 1862, and formally organized on December 27, 1876. It is named for Joseph Holt of Kentucky, who served as U.S. postmaster general and later secretary of war under President James Buchanan. O’Neill, the seat, traces its founding to an 1874 colony of Irish settlers led by General John O’Neill, a veteran of the Fenian raids into Canada.
Getting There
U.S. Highways 20, 275 and 281 all cross Holt County, along with Nebraska Highways 11 and 95, meeting at O’Neill.
- Atkinson — about 15 miles west of O’Neill via US-20
- Stuart — about 18 miles southwest of O’Neill via NE-11
- Ewing — about 20 miles south of O’Neill via US-275
- Chambers — about 25 miles south of O’Neill via NE-11
O’Neill has a public-use general-aviation airport (North Central Nebraska Regional Airport) with no scheduled commercial service; the nearest major commercial airport is Eppley Airfield in Omaha.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Holt County, Nebraska?
It is in north-central Nebraska, centred near 42°27′33″N 98°47′05″W, roughly 150 miles northwest of Omaha.
What is the population of Holt County?
10,127 at the 2020 census.
How big is Holt County?
2,417 square miles (6,261 km2), making it one of the largest counties in Nebraska by area.
What is the county seat of Holt County?
O’Neill is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Holt County?
Eight incorporated places — the cities of O’Neill and Atkinson, and the villages of Chambers, Emmet, Ewing, Inman, Page and Stuart — plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Holt County?
O’Neill’s ZIP code is 68763; the county’s other villages each keep their own post office ZIP.
Why is O’Neill called the “Irish Capital of Nebraska”?
It was founded in 1874 by Irish settlers under General John O’Neill and still holds an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.