How many people live in Cherry County, NE?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 5,600 people living in Cherry County, NE. That makes Cherry County the 49th-most populous county in Nebraska. It is home to 0.28% of people living in the state.
5.56K
population of Cherry County, NE (2024)
0.28%
County share of the Nebraska population (2024)
About 5,600 people lived in Cherry County, NE in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Cherry County, NE’s age demographics?
About 1,300 Cherry County, NE residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 23% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 17.5% of Nebraska’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 1,300 Cherry County residents, or 24.2% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 24.2% of Nebraska’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Cherry County, NE's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Cherry County, NE’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 83.4% of the Cherry County, NE population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Cherry County, NE also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (6.3%) than the US overall (0.72%).
In contrast, Cherry County’s Hispanic population accounts for 4.9%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 0.5% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Cherry County, NE has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Nebraska as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Cherry County, NE is Valentine with about 2,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Cherry County, NE ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Valentine | 2,642 |
| 2. | Cody | 172 |
| 3. | Merriman | 91 |
| 4. | Crookston | 73 |
| 5. | Kilgore | 69 |
| 6. | Wood Lake | 50 |
| 7. | Nenzel | 18 |
| 8. | Balance of Cherry County | 2,443 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
