Saunders County is a county in Nebraska, United States, on the eastern edge of the state between the Platte River and the Omaha–Lincoln corridor. It had a population of 22,278 at the 2020 census and covers 760 square miles (1,968 km2) centred near 41°13′N 96°39′W.
Wahoo is the county seat, and its postal code is 68066. The county has three incorporated cities, twelve villages, two unincorporated communities and one census-designated place, organized into 24 civil townships. It observes Central time.
Towns & Villages in Saunders County
Saunders County has 18 named communities: three incorporated cities, twelve villages, two unincorporated places and one census-designated place (CDP). “CDP” marks a statistically defined community with no city government; “Unincorp.” marks a place with a name and a post office history but no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahoo | City · seat | Wahoo | 4,818 | 68066 |
| Ashland | City | Ashland | 3,086 | 68003 |
| Yutan | City | — | — | 68073 |
| Cedar Bluffs | Village | North Cedar | — | 68015 |
| Ceresco | Village | — | — | 68017 |
| Colon | Village | — | — | 68018 |
| Ithaca | Village | — | — | 68033 |
| Leshara | Village | Leshara | — | — |
| Malmo | Village | — | — | 68040 |
| Mead | Village | — | — | 68041 |
| Memphis | Village | — | — | 68042 |
| Morse Bluff | Village | Morse Bluff | — | 68648 |
| Prague | Village | — | — | 68050 |
| Valparaiso | Village | — | — | 68065 |
| Weston | Village | — | — | 68070 |
| Swedeburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Touhy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wann | CDP | — | — | — |
The old list also carried “Abel,” “Big Sandy Lake,” “Iron Horse,” Riverside and Woodcliff; none of these turn up as Saunders County communities in current or historical Wikipedia/Census sources, so they are dropped rather than republished unverified.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Wahoo | — | Wahoo |
| Ashland | — | Ashland |
| Morse Bluff | — | Morse Bluff |
| Leshara | — | Leshara |
| North Cedar | — | Cedar Bluffs |
| South Cedar | — | — |
| Bohemia | — | — |
| Center | — | — |
| Chapman | — | — |
| Chester | — | — |
| Clear Creek | — | — |
| Douglas | — | — |
| Elk | — | — |
| Green | — | — |
| Marble | — | — |
| Marietta | — | — |
| Mariposa | — | — |
| Newman | — | — |
| Oak Creek | — | — |
| Pohocco | — | — |
| Richland | — | — |
| Rock Creek | — | — |
| Stocking | — | — |
| Union | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 68066 — Wahoo
- 68003 — Ashland
- 68073 — Yutan
- 68015 — Cedar Bluffs
- 68017 — Ceresco
- 68018 — Colon
- 68033 — Ithaca
- 68040 — Malmo
- 68041 — Mead
- 68042 — Memphis
- 68648 — Morse Bluff
- 68050 — Prague
- 68065 — Valparaiso
- 68070 — Weston
Leshara, Swedeburg, Touhy and Wann have no ZIP code of their own; mail to those places is delivered under a neighboring town’s code.
Geography
Saunders County sits on rolling loess-hill farmland between the Platte and Elkhorn river valleys. The Platte River forms most of the county’s northern and eastern edge, and Oak Creek, Rock Creek and Clear Creek drain the interior toward it. Of the county’s 760 square miles, about 750 are land and 9.6 are water, roughly 1.3 percent of the total.
The county borders Dodge County to the north, Douglas County to the east, Sarpy County to the southeast, Lancaster County to the south, Butler County to the west and Cass County to the southeast. Dodge County, Douglas County, Sarpy County, Butler County and Cass County all have their own Towns & Villages profiles; Lancaster County, home to Lincoln, does not yet have a page under this bare name on the site.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 22,278 residents, up from prior decades as Omaha-area commuters moved into the county’s eastern townships. Wahoo (4,818) and Ashland (3,086) are the two largest communities, together holding more than a third of the county’s population. Nebraska’s 2023 median household income is $74,590; Saunders County, with its mix of commuter households and working farms, runs close to that state figure rather than far below it. With roughly 750 square miles of land, the county averages about 30 people per square mile, far below the Omaha metro core but denser than Nebraska’s farm counties farther west.
Economy & Local Life
Row-crop and livestock agriculture — corn, soybeans and cattle — anchors the county’s economy, supplemented by grain elevators, farm-input dealers and light manufacturing in Wahoo and Ashland. A growing share of residents commute east to Omaha or south to Lincoln for work, a pattern visible in the county’s population growth along US-6 and US-77. Wahoo hosts the Saunders County Fair each summer, and the county’s Czech and Swedish settlement heritage still shows in local festivals in towns such as Prague and Malmo.
History
The Nebraska Territory legislature organized the county on January 26, 1856, first naming it Calhoun. It was renamed Saunders County in 1862 for Alvin Saunders, the territory’s last governor before statehood. Ashland, founded on the Platte, was the county’s first permanent settlement; Wahoo won an 1873 election to become the permanent county seat, and its 1904 courthouse is still in use.
Getting There
US Route 6 and US Route 77 cross the county, along with Nebraska Highways 64, 66, 79, 92 and 109.
- Omaha — 30 miles east
- Lincoln — 35 miles south
- Fremont — 15 miles north
- Columbus — 45 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Eppley Airfield in Omaha.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Saunders County?
It is in eastern Nebraska, between the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas, bordered on the north and east by the Platte River.
What is the population of Saunders County?
22,278 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Saunders County?
760 square miles (1,968 km2), of which about 9.6 square miles is water.
What is the Saunders County seat?
Wahoo is the county seat.
How many towns are in Saunders County?
Three incorporated cities, twelve villages, two unincorporated communities and one census-designated place — 18 named communities in all.
What ZIP codes are in Saunders County?
Fourteen, from 68003 (Ashland) to 68073 (Yutan); see the ZIP Codes section above for the full list.
Why is it called Saunders County?
It was renamed in 1862 for Alvin Saunders, the last governor of Nebraska Territory before statehood; it was originally organized in 1856 as Calhoun County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Nebraska.