Seward County, Nebraska

Seward County, Nebraska
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Coordinates: 40°52′19″N 97°08′25″W / 40.871944°N 97.140383°W / 40.871944; -97.140383
Country United States
State Nebraska
FoundedMarch 16, 1855 (created)
October 1, 1865 (organized)
Named afterWilliam H. Seward
SeatSeward
Largest citySeward
Area
 • Total
575.886 sq mi (1,491.54 km2)
 • Land571.431 sq mi (1,480.00 km2)
 • Water4.455 sq mi (11.54 km2)  0.77%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
17,609
 • Estimate 
(2024)
17,769
 • Density30.816/sq mi (11.898/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code402 and 531
Congressional district3rd
Websitesewardcountyne.gov
• Nebraska county number 80
• Nebraska license plate prefix 16

Seward County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,609, and was estimated to be 17,769 in 2024. The county seat and the largest city is Seward.

Seward County is part of the Lincoln, NE metropolitan area.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Seward County was represented by the prefix "16" (as it had the 16th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).