Lincoln County, Nebraska

Lincoln County is a county in Nebraska, United States, centred on North Platte, about 130 miles west of Kearney along Interstate 80. It had a population of 34,676 at the 2020 census, an estimated 33,303 more recently, and covers 2,575.12 square miles (6,669.53 km2) centred near 41°03′N 100°45′W.

North Platte is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 69101. The county holds 1 city and 6 incorporated villages, plus a handful of smaller unincorporated communities. It runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 31111.

Towns & Villages in Lincoln County

Lincoln County has 13 named places on record: 1 city, 6 incorporated villages, and 6 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.

Even though the county carries Abraham Lincoln’s name, the state capital of Lincoln sits roughly 230 miles east in Lancaster County and has no administrative link to it — a mix-up first-time visitors sometimes make.

ZIP Codes

• 69101 — North Platte (the county’s main ZIP)
• 69103 — North Platte (a secondary North Platte ZIP)
• 69165 — Sutherland
• 69143 — Hershey
• 69123 — Brady
• 69169 — Wallace
• 69151 — Maxwell
• 69170 — Wellfleet

Birdwood, Bignell, Dickens, O’Fallons, Somerset and Vroman have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated village or North Platte’s code.

Geography

Lincoln County sits in west-central Nebraska, in the Sandhills region, where mixed-grass prairie grows over grass-stabilized sand dunes. Of its 2,575.12 square miles, 2,564.16 are land and 10.96 are water, about 0.4 percent of the total. The North and South Platte rivers converge at North Platte, the point that gives the city and county seat its name; Lake Maloney and Sutherland Reservoir, both built for irrigation and hydropower, sit south and west of the city.

McPherson County lies to the northwest, Logan County to the northeast, Custer County and Dawson County to the east, Frontier County to the southeast, Hayes County to the southwest, and Perkins County and Keith County to the west. McPherson County, Logan County, Custer County, Dawson County, Frontier County, Hayes County, Perkins County and Keith County all border Lincoln County directly.

Demographics

Lincoln County had a population of 34,676 at the 2020 census, and a more recent estimate puts the county near 33,303 residents. North Platte and Sutherland are by far the two largest communities, with North Platte alone holding about two-thirds of the county’s population. Median household income runs an estimated $65,148 (2024 estimate), below Nebraska’s statewide figure of $74,590 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 13.5 people per square mile of land, thin even by Nebraska standards, reflecting the Sandhills terrain that dominates the county outside the North Platte river valley.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 2,539 people, followed by retail trade at 2,356 and transportation and warehousing at 2,242. Union Pacific Railroad is the county’s largest single employer, with more than 1,700 workers at Bailey Yard in North Platte, described by the railroad as the world’s largest rail yard. Great Plains Health, a regional hospital, employs about 1,300 people, and a Walmart distribution center adds roughly 600 more jobs. The Sustainable Beef meatpacking plant, which opened near North Platte, was expected to employ around 850 workers by the end of 2025. The county’s biggest annual event is Nebraskaland Days each June, a rodeo and festival in North Platte that draws more than 100,000 visitors, alongside the Miss Nebraska pageant held the same month.

History

The Nebraska Territory legislature organized Lincoln County on January 7, 1860, naming it for Abraham Lincoln. North Platte was established in 1866 when the Union Pacific Railroad extended its line west and built a division point there, and the city grew up around the railroad rather than the other way around.

During the Second World War, volunteers in North Platte ran the North Platte Canteen at the Union Pacific depot around the clock from December 1941 to April 1946, greeting troop trains and serving an estimated nearly seven million servicemen passing through — entirely on donated food and unpaid labor from area residents. Buffalo Bill Cody’s former ranch, Scout’s Rest Ranch, sits just north of the city and is preserved as Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.

Getting There

Interstate 80 crosses the county through North Platte. US Route 30 and US Route 83 also run through the county, along with Nebraska Highways 23, 25 and 97.

• Kearney — about 100 miles east
• Ogallala — about 55 miles west
• McCook — about 90 miles south
• Broken Bow — about 70 miles northeast

North Platte Regional Airport, on the city’s east side, offers United Express service to Denver. There is no Amtrak station in the county; the nearest station is in McCook, roughly 90 miles south. Burlington Trailways and Express Arrow run intercity bus service through North Platte.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lincoln County located?
It sits in west-central Nebraska’s Sandhills region, along Interstate 80, bordered by McPherson, Logan, Custer, Dawson, Frontier, Hayes, Perkins and Keith counties.

What is the population of Lincoln County?
34,676 at the 2020 census, with a more recent estimate near 33,303.

How big is Lincoln County?
2,575.12 square miles (6,669.53 km2), of which 2,564.16 square miles are land — the third-largest county by area in Nebraska.

What is the county seat of Lincoln County?
North Platte is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.

How many towns and villages are in Lincoln County?
One city, North Platte, plus six incorporated villages — Sutherland, Hershey, Brady, Wallace, Maxwell and Wellfleet — and six unincorporated communities: Birdwood, Bignell, Dickens, O’Fallons, Somerset and Vroman.

What ZIP codes does Lincoln County use?
69101 and 69103 for North Platte, 69165 for Sutherland, 69143 for Hershey, 69123 for Brady, 69169 for Wallace, 69151 for Maxwell and 69170 for Wellfleet.

What is Lincoln County known for?
Bailey Yard, the world’s largest rail yard, and the North Platte Canteen, which volunteers ran around the clock during World War II to serve nearly seven million passing servicemen.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.