Thurston County, Nebraska: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+7%. Democratic peak: D+62 in 1932.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+7MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 6,6272024 5-year
- Median household income
- $69,1772024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 36.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+62 in 1932MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+31 in 1980MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Mahnomen County, MN · similarity 0.85
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Thurston CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Thurston County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +52.7% |
| 1896 | +17.0% |
| 1900 | −10.0% |
| 1904 | −16.2% |
| 1908 | −9.7% |
| 1912 | +21.6% |
| 1916 | +26.8% |
| 1920 | −28.2% |
| 1924 | −0.6% |
| 1928 | +8.8% |
| 1932 | +62.5% |
| 1936 | +36.5% |
| 1940 | +1.6% |
| 1944 | +1.5% |
| 1948 | +24.4% |
| 1952 | −24.1% |
| 1956 | −10.1% |
| 1960 | −14.4% |
| 1964 | +17.5% |
| 1968 | −22.9% |
| 1972 | −30.1% |
| 1976 | −11.2% |
| 1980 | −30.9% |
| 1984 | −13.3% |
| 1988 | +5.1% |
| 1992 | −1.5% |
| 1996 | +6.0% |
| 2000 | −5.6% |
| 2004 | +2.4% |
| 2008 | +7.0% |
| 2012 | +13.9% |
| 2016 | −5.9% |
| 2020 | −2.4% |
| 2024 | −6.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 978 | 1,125 | 2,123 | ||
| R | 1,122 | 1,180 | 2,379 | ||
| R | 919 | 1,043 | 2,088 | ||
| D | 1,247 | 939 | 2,215 | ||
| D | 1,120 | 972 | 2,126 | ||
| D | 1,212 | 1,154 | 2,387 | ||
| R | 924 | 1,040 | 2,082 | ||
| D | 962 | 835 | 2,114 | ||
| R | 865 | 898 | 2,257 | ||
| D | 1,225 | 1,105 | 2,340 | ||
| R | 1,077 | 1,410 | 2,500 | ||
| R | 726 | 1,454 | 2,356 | ||
| R | 1,021 | 1,290 | 2,393 | ||
| R | 840 | 1,565 | 2,405 | ||
| R | 802 | 1,341 | 2,353 | ||
| D | 1,700 | 1,194 | 2,894 | ||
| R | 1,315 | 1,757 | 3,072 | ||
| R | 1,406 | 1,722 | 3,128 | ||
| R | 1,174 | 1,918 | 3,092 | ||
| D | 1,890 | 1,149 | 3,039 | ||
| D | 1,632 | 1,584 | 3,216 | ||
| D | 2,039 | 1,973 | 4,012 | ||
| D | 2,676 | 1,195 | 4,062 | ||
| D | 3,273 | 739 | 4,056 | ||
| D | 1,837 | 1,538 | 3,393 | ||
| R | 1,191 | 1,210 | 3,239 | ||
| R | 925 | 1,667 | 2,632 | ||
| D | 1,255 | 717 | 2,009 | ||
| D | 834 | 437 | 1,838 | ||
| R | 734 | 895 | 1,657 | ||
| R | 539 | 757 | 1,342 | ||
| R | 656 | 803 | 1,473 | ||
| D | 717 | 508 | 1,231 | ||
| D | 470 | 78 | 744 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
17.1%
Irish
4.0%
English
2.3%
Polish
1.4%
American
1.4%
Italian
0.6%
French
0.6%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 29.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$69,177
Thurston County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Thurston County$69,177
Nebraska$76,475
United States$80,734
Thurston County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.9%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1818.4%
Working age (18–64)11.9%
Seniors (65+)7.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.2%
speak English only
Other languages2.7%
Spanish1.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other Indo-European0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 59.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Thurston County's large Native American population — centered on the Omaha and Winnebago reservations — shapes voting patterns that have historically made it one of the most competitive counties in an otherwise reliably red state.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached sixty-two points in 1932; the Republican margin reached thirty-one points in 1980. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was seven points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 37% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $69,177, and a 14% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Mahnomen County and Muscatine County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Thurston County, Nebraska. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/31173/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
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Frequently asked questions
How did Thurston County, Nebraska vote in 2024?
In 2024, Thurston County, Nebraska voted Republican by 6.9 points (R+7), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,123 votes cast, 978 went Democratic and 1,125 went Republican.
What is Thurston County, Nebraska's political typology?
Akashic places Thurston County, Nebraska in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 16 times, Republican 18 times, and other 0 times.
When did Thurston County, Nebraska last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Thurston County, Nebraska voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Thurston County, Nebraska?
Thurston County, Nebraska has a population of 6,627 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Thurston County, Nebraska?
Median household income in Thurston County, Nebraska is $69,177 — below the national median of $80,734. The Nebraska state median is $76,475.
What is the political history of Thurston County, Nebraska?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Thurston County, Nebraska from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 18 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.