With a population of nearly 1,800,000 people, Nebraska has an average 10,000 increase in population, or about .6% a year since the year 2000. Migration out of the state is about 5000 a year while 26000 people from outside the country migrate into the state. Polk County in the city of Shelby, Nebraska is the center of population of the state.
Of Nebraska’s population, about 4.8% or 84000 are foreign born. The growth of Nebraska’s population are divided as such by race; 2.25% White, 10.52% Black, 1.72% Native American including Native Alaskans, a whopping 20.76% for Asian while 5.53% is the growth for Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
There are five major ancestry groups in Nebraska with German at the top with 38.6%, Irish at 12.4%, English at 9.6%, Swedish at 4.9% and Czech at 4.9%. In fact Nebraska has the largest percentage of Czech-American population in the country while German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most of the state, especially in the counties on the east. Thurston County, made up of Omaha and Winnebago reservations has the largest Native American majority and Butler County is one of just two counties with a majority of Czech-Americans.
Nebraska is a state of fast growing racial diversity. Hispanic and Asian population are slowly rising in the state, while Nebraska is also home to the largest Sudanese population in the United States. The number of Native American Tribes in Nebraska are four; Omaha, Winnebago, Ponca and Santee Sioux. The state’s racial diversity is also evidenced by the number of businesses owned by minorities numbering to 4,632 and the state has welcomed about 3,000 immigrants a year for the past three years.
This diversification of ethnicity makes Nebraska one of the more culturally rich states in the United States. Though the majority of Nebraska’s population is still White, the rate of growth of minorities seems to slowly diminish the White’s stake on being the majority. Sudanese immigrants in Nebraska are the largest in the country, as with the Czech-Americans. Hispanic and Asian numbers are steadily rising as well. Nebraska is also home to four tribes of Native Americans while among the whites, German ancestry is the dominant lineage.
A state of diversity, Nebraska makes for interesting people. Visitors to the state will leave satisfied with the mix of culture and heritage in Nebraska. A melting pot of cultures so to speak, Nebraska welcomes everyone regardless of race, creed and color.