{"id":5977,"date":"2023-07-18T22:14:35","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T22:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=5977"},"modified":"2026-08-14T22:20:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T22:20:51","slug":"custer-county-nebraska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/custer-county-nebraska\/","title":{"rendered":"Custer County, Nebraska"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Custer County is a county in Nebraska, United States, roughly midway between North Platte and Grand Island. It had a population of 10,545 at the 2020 census and covers 2,576 square miles (6,670 km2) centred near 41&deg;23&prime;N 99&deg;44&prime;W.<\/p>\n<p>Broken Bow is the county seat, and its postal code is 68822. The county has 2 incorporated cities, 9 incorporated villages, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities. Custer County sits in the Central time zone.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Custer County<\/h2>\n<p>Eleven places in Custer County are incorporated as a city or village; the remainder are unincorporated communities, several of them reduced to a scattered cluster of buildings or a single grain elevator today. Nebraska has no civil-township population reporting, so no Township column appears below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Broken Bow<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>3,283<\/td>\n<td>68822<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sargent<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68874<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Anselmo<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68813<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ansley<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68814<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Arnold<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>69120<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Berwyn<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Callaway<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68825<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Comstock<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68828<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mason City<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68855<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Merna<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68856<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Oconto<\/td>\n<td>Village<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68860<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Buckeye<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Burr Oak<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cumro<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Etna<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Finchville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Gates<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lillian<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lodi<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Milburn<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>New Helena<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pleasant Hill<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Round Valley<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Walworth<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Weissert<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wescott<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Westerville<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>68881<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>68822 &mdash; Broken Bow<\/li>\n<li>68813 &mdash; Anselmo<\/li>\n<li>68814 &mdash; Ansley<\/li>\n<li>69120 &mdash; Arnold<\/li>\n<li>68825 &mdash; Callaway<\/li>\n<li>68828 &mdash; Comstock<\/li>\n<li>68855 &mdash; Mason City<\/li>\n<li>68856 &mdash; Merna<\/li>\n<li>68860 &mdash; Oconto<\/li>\n<li>68874 &mdash; Sargent<\/li>\n<li>68881 &mdash; Westerville (also serves nearby rural addresses)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Berwyn and the county&#8217;s smaller unincorporated communities use a neighbouring town&#8217;s ZIP code rather than one of their own.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Custer County is Nebraska&#8217;s second-largest county by land area, behind only Cherry County, and lies in the Sandhills-to-Loess-Plains transition zone of central Nebraska. The Middle Loup and South Loup rivers cross the county, along with the Muddy Creek and Clear Creek drainages, and the terrain ranges from sand-hill grassland in the north to cultivated loess tableland in the south. Of the county&#8217;s 2,576 square miles, only about 0.4 square miles is water.<\/p>\n<p>Custer County borders Blaine County to the northwest, Loup County to the north, Valley County to the northeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/sherman-county-nebraska\/\">Sherman County<\/a> to the southeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/buffalo-county\/\">Buffalo County<\/a> to the southeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/dawson-county-nebraska\/\">Dawson County<\/a> to the south, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/lincoln-county-nebraska\/\">Lincoln County<\/a> to the southwest, and <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/logan-county-nebraska\/\">Logan County<\/a> to the west. Loup County has no live page on this site; it is named without a link.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Custer County had 10,545 residents at the 2020 census, down from a peak of 26,407 in 1920. Broken Bow, the county seat, is by far the largest community; Callaway and Arnold are the next-largest incorporated places. Median household income in Custer County runs below the Nebraska median of $74,590, consistent with the county&#8217;s agricultural economy. Population density is roughly 4 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state outside the Sandhills counties proper.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Agriculture anchors the county&#8217;s economy: cattle ranching dominated the Sandhills portion in the county&#8217;s early decades, and irrigated corn, wheat, and soybean farming expanded across the loess plains in the south through the 20th century. Broken Bow serves as the county&#8217;s retail, medical, and school-district hub. The Custer County Fair, held in Broken Bow each summer, is the county&#8217;s largest annual gathering.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Custer County was organized in 1877 and named for General George Armstrong Custer, who was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn the year before. Homestead-era settlement drove rapid early growth, and the county&#8217;s population peaked at 26,407 in the 1920 census before decades of rural outmigration reduced it to roughly a third of that figure today. The county was the setting for pioneer photographer Solomon D. Butcher&#8217;s well-known collection of sod-house homestead photographs, taken across Custer County in the 1880s and 1890s.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. Route 183 runs north&ndash;south through the county, and Nebraska Highways 2, 21, 40, 47, 70, and 92 cross it. Approximate distances from Broken Bow:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Kearney &mdash; 65 miles southeast<\/li>\n<li>North Platte &mdash; 70 miles southwest<\/li>\n<li>Grand Island &mdash; 90 miles southeast<\/li>\n<li>Ogallala &mdash; 100 miles west<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The nearest commercial airport is Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Custer County, Nebraska?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits in central Nebraska, roughly midway between North Platte and Grand Island, in the transition zone between the Sandhills and the loess plains.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Custer County?<\/strong><br \/>\n10,545 people, per the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Custer County?<\/strong><br \/>\n2,576 square miles (6,670 km2) &mdash; Nebraska&#8217;s second-largest county by land area.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Custer County?<\/strong><br \/>\nBroken Bow is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns are in Custer County?<\/strong><br \/>\nEleven incorporated cities and villages, plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes are in Custer County?<\/strong><br \/>\nEleven ZIP codes, including 68822 (Broken Bow), 68814 (Ansley), 68825 (Callaway), and 68874 (Sargent).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who is Custer County named after?<\/strong><br \/>\nGeneral George Armstrong Custer, who was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, a year before the county&#8217;s organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Custer County is a county in Nebraska, United States, roughly midway between North Platte and Grand Island. It had a population of 10,545 at the 2020 census and covers 2,576 square miles (6,670 km2) centred near 41&deg;23&prime;N 99&deg;44&prime;W. Broken Bow is the county seat, and its postal code is 68822. The county has 2 incorporated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Custer County, Nebraska: Towns & ZIP Codes","_seopress_titles_desc":"Custer County, Nebraska: population 10,545, seat Broken Bow. 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