Immigrants help push Omaha metro past 1M population mark as more Nebraska counties grow

Yahoo

13-03-2025

The Omaha metro area's population is now over 1 million people for the first time in a Census estimate, and Nebraska's is over 2 million. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)
OMAHA — The Omaha metro area of eight counties has surpassed the million-person mark, another record-setter that follows an earlier Census report that Nebraska's statewide population topped 2 million.
Also revealed in population estimates released Thursday are county-level growth patterns that showed 48 of Nebraska's 93 counties gaining population and two remaining the same in the latest year tracked, mid-2023 to mid-2024.
That's an improvement over only 24 counties that finished the 2010s with positive growth, according to an analysis by the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Center for Public Affairs Research.
A key driver overall of the recent population rise was an influx of people from other countries.
'International migration is still the star of the show,' said Josie Schafer, who heads the UNO CPAR office, which is Nebraska's designated data center and partner for the U.S. Census Bureau.
On average, she said, a county in Nebraska attracted 81 foreign-born newcomers from mid-2023 to mid-2024, compared to an average of 59 the year before. Some counties, including Madison and Lincoln, dropped in overall population but still increased its number of international migrants.
Thursday's latest batch of population estimates focused on county- and metro-level data — building on the December release of state-level numbers for the same time period, which showed Nebraska exceeding the 2 million milestone with an estimated 2,005,465 people.
County-level data sheds more light on how that growth was distributed across the state. Such information is used in part to help legislators, policy-makers, businesses and others better understand trends as they make policy decisions affecting the state.
While notable that Nebraska's foreign-born newcomers between 2023 and 2024 more than doubled the estimated increase in the previous year, the sharp increase is more due to a change in methodology used to track data than a sudden influx, Schafer said.
She said the immigrant numbers in previous counts were underestimated, and this year's data essentially caught up to better reflect long-term trends.
'It reminds us how important international migration is to population growth in this state,' said Schafer.
Overall, she said, 67 of Nebraska's 93 counties gained population from international migration in the latest 2024 figures, compared to 58 counties the year prior. The growth was most pronounced in the state's most populous counties.
Douglas County, for example, showed an increase of 5,307 international migrants compared to 2023's bump of 2,066 people.
In Lancaster, growth in international migrants was about 3,080, up from 1,088 the year before. Sarpy showed an influx of about 900 international migrants, up from 301 the year prior.
Aside from the international swell, Thursday's Census release showed some of the state's smallest counties gaining the highest percentage increases in population. Though the actual number of new residents in those cases might be relatively small, the UNO team said the uptick shows that rural growth remains possible.
'Not huge in overall numbers, but to see growth in lots of these counties — it's a big deal,' said Schafer. 'I really believe there was effort made to bring people to rural Nebraska, '
Blaine County was ahead of that pack with a 5.3% population rise from mid 2023 to mid-2024, adding 23 residents. Logan showed a 5% increase of 33 residents. In both counties, the new people came largely from elsewhere in Nebraska or another state.
Sarpy County was fifth fastest-growing overall, with a 2.2% increase, or 4,351 people. All of Nebraska's largest counties posted population gains between 2023 and 2024, including Douglas with a 1.3% increase; Lancaster with 1.2% increase and Hall with a 0.3% increase.
The biggest percentage loss of residents was Thomas County, with a loss of 6.1% or 41 people, and Sioux County with a loss of 4.5% or 52 people.
According to the CPAR analysis, 50 Nebraska counties showed a net loss in 'domestic migration' — that is, more people left for other states and other parts of the Cornhusker State than entered. Some of the largest domestic migration losses were felt in the counties of Douglas (-1,083) and Hall (-853).
Counties with high net gains from domestic migration included Sarpy (2,348), Adams (235) and Buffalo (159).
The total population gain for the state from 2023 to 2024 was about 0.9%, ranking Nebraska the nation's 17th fastest-growing state.
Natural change — which is births minus deaths — also played a role in overall population growth from 2023 to 2024, with Nebraska posting 6,135 more births than deaths in that time.
Forty counties in the state recorded positive natural change, the UNO analysis showed, with the largest jumps in Douglas (3,283), Sarpy (1,106), Lancaster (1,051) and Hall (393).
According to the Census analysis:
The Omaha metro grew from 2023 to 2024 by an estimated 12,144 people, or 1.2% — to 1,001,010. Its eight counties are Douglas, Sarpy, Washington, Cass and Saunders in Nebraska and Mills, Pottawattamie and Harrison in Iowa.
Lincoln metro of Lancaster and Seward Counties in Nebraska grew by an estimated 4,186 people, or 1.2%, to 350,626.
Sioux City metro grew an estimated 924 people, or 0.6%, to 145,994. Its counties are Dakota and Dixon in Nebraska, Woodbury and Plymouth in Iowa and Union in South Dakota.
Grand Island metro of Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick Counties in Nebraska grew an estimated 310 people, or 0.4%, to 77,278.
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