Nemaha County is a county in Nebraska, United States, in the southeastern corner of the state along the Missouri River. It had a population of 7,074 at the 2020 census and covers 410 square miles (1,100 km2) centred near 40°23′N 95°51′W.
Auburn is the county seat, and its postal code is 68305. The county has two incorporated cities, five villages, and three unincorporated communities. Nemaha County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Nemaha County
Nemaha County has ten named places: two cities (one of them the county seat), five villages, and three unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. The table below lists each with its population, where verified, and ZIP code.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | City · seat | 3,470 | 68305 |
| Peru | City | — | 68421 |
| Brock | Village | — | 68320 |
| Brownville | Village | — | 68321 |
| Johnson | Village | — | 68378 |
| Julian | Village | — | 68379 |
| Nemaha | Village | — | 68414 |
| Glenrock | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Howe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rohrs | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 68305 — Auburn (also serves nearby rural addresses)
- 68421 — Peru
- 68378 — Johnson
- 68321 — Brownville
- 68320 — Brock
- 68414 — Nemaha
- 68379 — Julian
Glenrock, Howe, and Rohrs have no post office of their own and use ZIP codes drawn from the nearest listed town. All three are unincorporated hamlets with no municipal government of their own, and appear on maps mainly as rural crossroads or rail-siding names rather than active town centers.
Geography
Nemaha County lies in the loess hills of southeastern Nebraska, where rolling farmland breaks toward the Missouri River bluffs on the county’s eastern edge. The Missouri forms the county’s entire eastern border, separating it from Missouri across the river, and the Little Nemaha River crosses the county from west to east before joining the Missouri near Brownville.
The county is bordered by Otoe County to the north, Atchison County, Missouri, to the east across the river, Holt County, Missouri, to the southeast, Richardson County to the south, Pawnee County to the southwest, and Johnson County to the west.
Brownville, on the Missouri River bluffs, retains much of its 19th-century townsite and is a designated Nebraska historical landmark district, while the bottomland along the river floods periodically in wet years, a recurring concern for farmland close to the channel.
Demographics
Nemaha County had 7,074 residents at the 2020 census, giving it a density of about 17 people per square mile. Auburn, with 3,470 residents, and Peru are the county’s two largest communities; together they hold roughly half the county’s population. Nemaha County’s median household income runs below the Nebraska median of $74,590, typical of the state’s rural counties.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture — corn, soybeans, and cattle — anchors the county’s economy, alongside light manufacturing and retail centered in Auburn, the county’s trade hub for groceries, healthcare, and county government offices. Peru is home to Peru State College, Nebraska’s oldest public college, founded in 1867 as the state’s first normal school, and the town’s economy runs largely on the campus. The Cooper Nuclear Station, on the Missouri River near Brownville, is one of the county’s largest employers and taxpayers, and its cooling operation draws directly on the river that forms the county’s eastern edge.
History
Nemaha County was organized in 1855, carved from the earlier Forney County, and takes its name from the Nemaha River, an Otoe-Missouria word generally translated as “muddy water.” Brownville, the county’s first seat and once a busy Missouri River steamboat landing, lost the county seat to Auburn in 1883 after a railroad-era shift in population. On January 1, 1863, Daniel Freeman filed the first claim under the new Homestead Act at the federal land office in Brownville, a claim later recognized as the first in the nation.
Getting There
U.S. Route 75 runs north-south through Auburn, connecting the county to Omaha and Lincoln, while Nebraska Highway 67 and Highway 73 cross the county east-west and north-south respectively.
- Lincoln, Nebraska — 50 miles northwest
- Omaha, Nebraska — 65 miles north
- St. Joseph, Missouri — 45 miles south
- Falls City, Nebraska — 25 miles south
The nearest commercial airport is Eppley Airfield in Omaha.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Nemaha County, Nebraska?
It sits in the southeastern corner of Nebraska, on the Missouri River across from Missouri, between Lincoln and the Kansas-Missouri border.
What is the population of Nemaha County?
7,074 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Nemaha County?
410 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 407 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Nemaha County?
Auburn is the county seat.
How many towns are in Nemaha County?
Ten named places: two cities, five villages, and three unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Nemaha County?
68305 (Auburn), 68421 (Peru), 68378 (Johnson), 68379 (Julian), 68320 (Brock), 68321 (Brownville), and 68414 (Nemaha).
What college is in Nemaha County?
Peru State College, Nebraska’s oldest public college, founded in 1867 in the village of Peru.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.