Phelps County is a county in Nebraska, United States, on the Platte River plains in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 8,968 at the 2020 census and covers 540 square miles (1,400 km2) of land centred near 40°31′N 99°25′W.
Holdrege is the county seat, and its postal code is 68949. The county has one city, four incorporated villages, and three unincorporated communities, grouped into 14 townships. Phelps County is in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Phelps County
Phelps County has eight named places on the map: one city, four villages, and three unincorporated communities. The table below lists each, with its type, home township, and 2020 census population where the place is separately counted. Unincorp. means the community has no municipal government of its own and is not separately counted by the Census Bureau.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holdrege | City · seat | Holdrege | 5,363 | 68949 |
| Bertrand | Village | Bertrand | 734 | 68927 |
| Loomis | Village | Sherman | 329 | 68958 |
| Funk | Village | Funk | 210 | 68940 |
| Atlanta | Village | Atlanta | 117 | 68923 |
| Sacramento | Unincorp. | Sacramento | — | 68949 |
| Clyde | Unincorp. | Clyde | — | 68949 |
| Westmark | Unincorp. | Holdrege | — | 68949 |
Two entries from older lists of Phelps County places — “Dewaynes Trailer Court” and “Westside Plaza MH Park” — are manufactured-home parks inside Holdrege city limits, not separate settlements, so they are folded into Holdrege above rather than listed on their own.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Holdrege | 5,363 | Holdrege, Westmark |
| Bertrand | 971 | Bertrand |
| Sherman | 474 | Loomis |
| Funk | 318 | Funk |
| Williamsburg | — | rural farmland, no platted town |
| Atlanta | 170 | Atlanta |
| Sacramento | — | Sacramento |
| Clyde | — | Clyde |
Phelps County’s remaining townships — Beaver, Eldorado, Josselyn, Meridian, Myrtle, and Phelps Centre — are open farmland with no incorporated or named unincorporated community inside them.
ZIP Codes
- 68949 — Holdrege (also serves Sacramento, Clyde and Westmark)
- 68927 — Bertrand
- 68958 — Loomis
- 68940 — Funk
- 68923 — Atlanta
Every address in Phelps County falls under one of these five ZIP codes; the unincorporated communities share Holdrege’s 68949 because none has its own post office.
Geography
Phelps County lies on the loess plains of south-central Nebraska, with low rolling hills given over almost entirely to irrigated corn, soybean, and alfalfa farming. The land slopes gently eastward toward the Platte River, which forms part of the county’s northern boundary; the Republican River basin drains the southern townships. The county covers 540 square miles of land and 0.6 square miles of water.
Phelps County borders Buffalo County to the northeast, Kearney County to the east, Franklin County to the southeast, Harlan County to the south, Furnas County to the southwest, Gosper County to the west, and Dawson County to the northwest.
Demographics
Phelps County had 8,968 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of roughly 16.6 people per square mile. Holdrege is by far the largest community with 5,363 residents, followed by Bertrand at 734. As of the 2000 census the county’s median household income was $37,319, well below the Nebraska median of $74,590 in the latest American Community Survey figures — Phelps County is a sparsely populated, agriculture-dependent county, and county-level income has not been independently re-verified for this profile.
Economy & Local Life
Irrigated row-crop agriculture is the backbone of the county economy, supplemented by livestock feeding and farm-equipment dealerships centred in Holdrege. Holdrege is home to Phelps Memorial Health Center, the county’s hospital, and to the Nebraska Prairie Museum, which documents Swedish immigrant settlement and area farm history. The county fairgrounds in Holdrege host the annual Phelps County Fair each summer.
History
Phelps County was organized in 1873 and named for William Phelps (1808–1889), a Missouri River steamboat captain and early Nebraska settler. Much of the county was settled in the 1870s and 1880s by Swedish immigrant homesteaders, whose churches and community institutions still shape Holdrege’s civic life. The Holdrege area later became a shipping point on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, which anchored the town’s growth as the county seat.
Getting There
U.S. Highways 6, 34, and 183 and Nebraska Highway 23 cross Phelps County, meeting at Holdrege.
- Kearney — 30 miles northeast
- Minden — 25 miles east
- McCook — 60 miles southwest
- North Platte — 65 miles northwest
Amtrak’s California Zephyr stops at the Holdrege station. The nearest commercial airport is Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island, about 75 miles east.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Phelps County, Nebraska?
It is in south-central Nebraska, on the plains between the Platte and Republican river basins, about 30 miles southwest of Kearney.
What is the population of Phelps County?
8,968 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Phelps County?
540 square miles of land (1,400 km2), plus 0.6 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Phelps County?
Holdrege is the county seat and the county’s only city.
How many towns are in Phelps County?
One city (Holdrege) and four villages (Atlanta, Bertrand, Funk, and Loomis), plus three unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Phelps County?
68949 (Holdrege), 68927 (Bertrand), 68958 (Loomis), 68940 (Funk), and 68923 (Atlanta).
What is Phelps County known for?
Irrigated corn and soybean farming, its Swedish-immigrant settlement history, and the Nebraska Prairie Museum in Holdrege.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.