Cherry County, Nebraska
The largest of Nebraska's 93 counties by land area.
CountyFIPS 31031
- Population
- 5,561
- +104 (+1.9%) since 2020
- Land area
- 5,960
- square miles. A further 0.8% of the total area is water
- Population density
- 0.93
- people per square mile, computed rather than published
- County seat
- Valentine
- Seat of county government.
- Established
- 1883
- 142 years ago
- Largest city
- Valentine city
- Population 2,635.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; Wikidata (CC0), Wikidata. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Satellite view
Aerial imagery of Cherry County with its boundary drawn on top. A map shows you the shape; this shows you what is inside it, and which side of the line a place falls on.
Where Cherry County ranks
Position among the 93 counties of Nebraska, and among all 3,144 US counties and county-equivalents. Computed from the figures on this page.
| Measure | Value | In Nebraska | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,561 | 50th of 93 | 2,773rd of 3,144 |
| Land area | 5,960 sq mi | 1st of 93 | 60th of 3,144 |
| Population density | 0.93 per sq mi | 86th of 93 | 3,083rd of 3,144 |
| Median household income | $66,270 | 55th of 93 | 1,500th of 3,143 |
Full data for Cherry County
| Measure | Value | Source and vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,561 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Population in 2020 | 5,457 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| 2020 estimates base? | 5,458 | Vintage 2025 Population Estimates |
| Land area | 5,960 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Water area | 49.5 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Total area | 6,010 sq mi | 2025 Gazetteer Files |
| Population density? | 0.93 per sq mi | Computed: Vintage 2025 estimates divided by 2025 Gazetteer land area |
| Median household income | $66,270 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median home value | $152,200 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Median age | 41.4 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Households | 2,233 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Housing units | 3,009 | American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates, released 29 January 2026. Population density is computed here, not published: it divides the Vintage 2025 population estimate by the 2025 Gazetteer land area, which are two different Census products. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
How the population changed
The Census Bureau publishes the components behind an estimate, not just the total. For the year to July 2025:
- Births minus deaths
- +35
- 76 births, 41 deaths
- Net migration
- -49
- More people moved out than moved in.
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
The 11 areas bordering Cherry County
Ordered by the length of the border actually shared, which the Census Bureau publishes in its county adjacency file and which no other county reference presents.
| Bordering area | State | Shared border | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan County | Nebraska | 66 mi | 4,809 |
| Brown County | Nebraska | 54 mi | 2,826 |
| Todd County | South Dakota | 52 mi | 8,863 |
| Bennett County | South Dakota | 43 mi | 3,307 |
| Hooker County | Nebraska | 30 mi | 686 |
| Grant County | Nebraska | 30 mi | 561 |
| Thomas County | Nebraska | 30 mi | 639 |
| Keya Paha County | Nebraska | 11 mi | 792 |
| Blaine County | Nebraska | 5.1 mi | 458 |
| Oglala Lakota County | South Dakota | 16 ft | 13,338 |
| Tripp County | South Dakota | a single point | 5,708 |
Source: US Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2025 County Adjacency File, released 15 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
All 93 counties of Nebraska
Open the interactive Nebraska county map, or jump straight to any of them.
- Adams County
- Antelope County
- Arthur County
- Banner County
- Blaine County
- Boone County
- Box Butte County
- Boyd County
- Brown County
- Buffalo County
- Burt County
- Butler County
- Cass County
- Cedar County
- Chase County
- Cherry County
- Cheyenne County
- Clay County
- Colfax County
- Cuming County
- Custer County
- Dakota County
- Dawes County
- Dawson County
- Deuel County
- Dixon County
- Dodge County
- Douglas County
- Dundy County
- Fillmore County
- Franklin County
- Frontier County
- Furnas County
- Gage County
- Garden County
- Garfield County
- Gosper County
- Grant County
- Greeley County
- Hall County
- Hamilton County
- Harlan County
- Hayes County
- Hitchcock County
- Holt County
- Hooker County
- Howard County
- Jefferson County
- Johnson County
- Kearney County
- Keith County
- Keya Paha County
- Kimball County
- Knox County
- Lancaster County
- Lincoln County
- Logan County
- Loup County
- Madison County
- McPherson County
- Merrick County
- Morrill County
- Nance County
- Nemaha County
- Nuckolls County
- Otoe County
- Pawnee County
- Perkins County
- Phelps County
- Pierce County
- Platte County
- Polk County
- Red Willow County
- Richardson County
- Rock County
- Saline County
- Sarpy County
- Saunders County
- Scotts Bluff County
- Seward County
- Sheridan County
- Sherman County
- Sioux County
- Stanton County
- Thayer County
- Thomas County
- Thurston County
- Valley County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- Webster County
- Wheeler County
- York County
Data on this page last rebuilt 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.