Spencer, NE Demographics

Population 488 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Spencer, NE map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Spencer

Household size in Spencer

Household size, people per household
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–102.212.522.68
2010–142.282.532.73
2015–192.012.512.71
2020–242.282.512.65
Change+0.07−0.01−0.03
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Households in Spencer are small: just 2.28 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Spencer

Median age, years
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–1048.637.437.7
2010–1448.537.938.6
2015–1955.038.339.6
2020–2449.038.340.1
Change+0.4+0.9+2.3
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With a median age of 49.0, Spencer is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Spencer

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–107.2%10.1%12.3%
2010–144.4%10.6%12.3%
2015–194.1%10.1%11.6%
2020–247.6%10.4%11.6%
Change+0.4 pts+0.3 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 7.6% of households in Spencer, well below the national share of 11.6%.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Spencer

Renters in Spencer

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–1020.8%31.4%33.3%
2010–1418.0%33.5%35.6%
2015–1917.1%33.9%36.0%
2020–2414.5%33.5%34.8%
Change−6.2 pts+2.0 pts+1.5 pts
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Spencer is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 14.5% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. About two-thirds of owners (67.3%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. Since 2006–10, the renter share has fallen 6.2 points, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Spencer

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–1038.2%10.0%11.4%
2010–1435.4%9.1%11.4%
2015–1936.5%9.4%11.1%
2020–2444.7%7.8%9.6%
Change+6.5 pts−2.2 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy is high in Spencer: 44.7% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Spencer

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–10194719691974
2010–14194919701975
2015–19196119721977
2020–24195319751980
Change+6+6+6
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Spencer is a place of older homes: half were built before 1953, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Spencer

Rent, per month
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–10$373$730$965
2010–14$395$805$1,040
2015–19$554$911$1,213
2020–24$744$1,159$1,571
Change+$371+$429+$606
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A typical rental in Spencer costs $744 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 24.0% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Spencer

Bachelor's degrees in Spencer

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–1013.3%29.5%28.4%
2010–1420.8%30.4%29.6%
2015–1919.2%32.4%32.1%
2020–2419.6%34.9%35.6%
Change+6.2 pts+5.5 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Spencer have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 19.6%, against 35.6% nationally.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Spencer

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–1091.9%90.3%84.9%
2010–1493.2%90.6%86.1%
2015–1994.8%91.3%87.7%
2020–2498.2%91.8%89.3%
Change+6.3 pts+1.6 pts+4.3 pts
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Finishing high school is nearly universal in Spencer: 98.2% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Spencer

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSpencerNebraskaU.S.
2006–101.4%5.1%8.1%
2010–141.0%5.5%9.4%
2015–192.0%3.4%5.6%
2020–241.0%3.1%5.4%
Change−0.3 pts−2.1 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Spencer has been low: just 1.0% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Spencer compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Spencer2.2849.07.6%14.5%44.7%1953$74419.6%98.2%1.0%
Bristow2.2250.46.5%18.6%42.7%1956$75619.7%98.7%0.8%
Gross2.2250.98.6%12.7%48.2%1953$73116.9%98.2%1.1%
Butte2.2455.65.9%16.2%22.4%1955$68427.1%94.9%3.4%
Fairfax2.5145.27.4%25.1%23.8%1965$56822.0%91.3%3.3%
Redbird2.2149.41.9%30.9%30.9%1962$81126.0%99.8%0.1%
Lynch2.2650.27.5%16.9%44.1%1959$71618.3%97.1%1.2%
Marty3.0241.216.6%40.8%9.7%1976$59223.0%90.9%16.6%
Pickstown2.9941.116.5%34.8%15.2%1979$61323.4%91.3%14.6%
Monowi2.2950.28.5%14.6%46.0%1960$68416.8%95.9%1.5%
Naper2.3153.45.1%17.8%21.1%1955$69928.8%95.0%3.1%

All figures 2020–24.

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About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Spencer. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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