Nebraska

Nebraska is a Great Plains state of the United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Native American (Oto) word meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the state. Once considered part of the Great American Desert, it is now a leading farming state. Nebraskans have practiced scientific farming to turn the Nebraska prairie into a land of ranches and farms. Much of the history of the state is the story of the impact of the Nebraska farmer.

Demographics

According to the Census Bureau, as of 2004, the population of Nebraska was 1,747,214. This includes about 84,000 foreign-born residents (4.8% of the population).

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Race and ancestry

The racial makeup of the state and comparison to the prior census:

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The five largest ancestry groups in Nebraska are German (38.6%), Irish (12.4%), English (9.6%), Swedish (4.9%), and Czech (4.9%).

Related Topics:
German - Irish - English - Swedish - Czech

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Nebraska has the largest Czech-American population (as a percentage of the total population) in the nation. German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most of the state, particularly in the eastern counties. Thurston County (comprised entirely of the Omaha and Winnebago reservations) has a Indian majority, and Butler County is one of only two counties in the nation with a Czech-American plurality.

Related Topics:
Omaha - Winnebago - Indian - Butler County

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Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Nebraska are shown in the table below:

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• Christian – 90%
• Protestant – 61%
• Lutheran – 16%
• Methodist – 11%
• Baptist – 9%
• Presbyterian – 4%
• Other Protestant – 21%
• Roman Catholic – 28%
• Other Christian – 1%
• Other religions – 1%
• Non-religious – 9%