Hooker County, Nebraska

Hooker County
Hooker County
County
	Hooker County Courthouse in Mullen
	Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
	Nebraska's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 41°53′N 101°08′W / 41.89°N 101.14°W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1889
Named for	Joseph Hooker
Seat	Mullen
Largest village	Mullen
Area
• Total	721 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Land	721 sq mi (1,870 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) 0.05%
Population (2020)
• Total	711
• Density	0.99/sq mi (0.38/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.co.hooker.ne.us

Hooker County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 711.^[1] Its county seat is Mullen, which (as of 2019) is the county's only community of substantial size.^[2]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Hooker County is represented by the prefix 93, because it had the smallest number of registered vehicles out of the state's 93 counties when the licensing system was established in 1922.^[3]

History

Hooker County was formed in 1889 with construction of a line for Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad into the territory.^[4] It was named for Civil War General Joseph Hooker.^[5]

Geography

The terrain of Hooker County consists of low rolling hills running east–west. The Middle Loup River flows eastward through the upper part of the county. The county has a total area of 721 square miles (1,870 km²), of which 721 square miles (1,870 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (0.05%) is water.^[6]

Most of Nebraska's 93 counties (the eastern 2/3) observe Central Time; the western counties observe Mountain Time. Hooker County is the easternmost of the Nebraska counties to observe Mountain Time.^[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Cherry County – north
Thomas County – east (Central Time Zone boundary)
McPherson County – south
Arthur County – southwest
Grant County – west

Lakes

Carr Lake^[8]
Jefford Lake^[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	426	—
1900	432	1.4%
1910	981	127.1%
1920	1,378	40.5%
1930	1,180	−14.4%
1940	1,253	6.2%
1950	1,061	−15.3%
1960	1,130	6.5%
1970	939	−16.9%
1980	990	5.4%
1990	793	−19.9%
2000	783	−1.3%
2010	736	−6.0%
2020	711	−3.4%
2022 (est.)	686	−3.5%
US Decennial Census^[10] 1790-1960^[11] 1900-1990^[12] 1990-2000^[13] 2010^[14] 2020^[15] 2022^[16]

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[17] there were 783 people, 335 households, and 220 families in the county. The population density was 1.0 person per square mile (0.39 persons/km²). There were 440 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.72% White, 0.38% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 335 households, out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 3.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.30% were non-families. 33.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.

The county population contained 24.00% under the age of 18, 4.10% from 18 to 24, 21.60% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 26.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 83.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,868, and the median income for a family was $35,114. Males had a median income of $25,234 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,513. About 4.90% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Village

Mullen (county seat)

Former community

Dunwell

Politics

Hooker County voters have been overwhelmingly Republican ever since World War II. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 when the region was decimated by the Dust Bowl, and in no presidential election since 1936 has the Democratic nominee reached thirty percent of the county's vote – a record of Republican dominance equalled only by the Unionist Kentucky counties of Jackson and Clinton where no Democrat has passed thirty percent since before 1896. In 1968^[18] Hooker was the nation's most Republican county, and it was in the top ten most Republican in 1960,^[19] 1976,^[20] and 1984.^[21]

United States presidential election results for Hooker County, Nebraska^[22]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	376	85.07%	59	13.35%	7	1.58%
2016	355	85.13%	40	9.59%	22	5.28%
2012	330	83.54%	59	14.94%	6	1.52%
2008	355	81.05%	75	17.12%	8	1.83%
2004	392	85.03%	64	13.88%	5	1.08%
2000	317	77.51%	74	18.09%	18	4.40%
1996	308	59.92%	115	22.37%	91	17.70%
1992	283	62.20%	70	15.38%	102	22.42%
1988	378	80.25%	91	19.32%	2	0.42%
1984	433	87.83%	55	11.16%	5	1.01%
1980	386	81.78%	63	13.35%	23	4.87%
1976	326	76.35%	98	22.95%	3	0.70%
1972	394	88.34%	52	11.66%	0	0.00%
1968	350	87.94%	36	9.05%	12	3.02%
1964	335	70.97%	137	29.03%	0	0.00%
1960	443	86.19%	71	13.81%	0	0.00%
1956	368	85.19%	64	14.81%	0	0.00%
1952	411	85.09%	72	14.91%	0	0.00%
1948	249	74.33%	86	25.67%	0	0.00%
1944	330	76.21%	103	23.79%	0	0.00%
1940	403	73.27%	147	26.73%	0	0.00%
1936	288	59.75%	191	39.63%	3	0.62%
1932	162	31.70%	342	66.93%	7	1.37%
1928	355	76.02%	110	23.55%	2	0.43%
1924	176	40.00%	111	25.23%	153	34.77%
1920	230	63.54%	117	32.32%	15	4.14%
1916	109	32.25%	218	64.50%	11	3.25%
1912	103	34.22%	121	40.20%	77	25.58%
1908	100	50.76%	91	46.19%	6	3.05%
1904	72	69.23%	22	21.15%	10	9.62%
1900	37	44.58%	43	51.81%	3	3.61%