Stanton County, Nebraska

Stanton County, Nebraska

County seat: Stanton · Created: as Izard County, 1855–56; renamed Stanton County 1862; organized January 23, 1867 · Named for: Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War · License plates: prefix 53 · Population: 5,842 (2020 census); about 5,700 (2025); most, 7,809, in 1930 · Area: 431 sq mi (428 land) · Time zone: Central

About Stanton County

Stanton County lies in the Elkhorn River valley of northeast Nebraska, just east of Norfolk, and is part of the Norfolk micropolitan area. Stanton is the county seat and only city, Pilger is the one village, and Woodland Park, 4 miles east-northeast of Norfolk, is an unincorporated community of 1,830, the county’s most populous place. The county borders Wayne on the north, Cuming on the east, Colfax on the south, Platte on the southwest, Madison on the west and Pierce on the northwest.

The territorial legislature created an Izard County in 1855, redrew it in 1856 and renamed it for Edwin M. Stanton in 1862. Charles and Mitchell Sharp took farms in 1865, Germans settled on Humbug Creek in 1866, and the county held its first election that October and was organized on January 23, 1867, with Stanton as its seat; an 1869 vote to move the seat to Clinton was ruled illegal. The railroad came up the Elkhorn from Wisner in 1879–80, and Pilger was platted on it in 1880. On June 16, 2014, twin EF4 tornadoes struck Pilger, killing two people and destroying or badly damaging more than half the village; it has since rebuilt.

Towns of Stanton County

Travel Corridors

US 275 crosses the north of the county from Wisner through Pilger toward Norfolk. US 275 Corridor → NE 15 runs north–south through Pilger, sharing about 2 miles with US 275, toward Wayne. Highway 15 Corridor → NE 57 runs north–south through Stanton from NE 32 to US 275, NE 24 follows the Elkhorn from Norfolk to Stanton, NE 32 crosses the south of the county, and NE 35 passes through Woodland Park.

Cameras: View Stanton County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

The county’s one National Register listing is the 1915 Stanton Carnegie Library. Stanton has the Stanton County Heritage Museum, and Pilger the Historical Society of Stanton County and Pilger Museum and a county historical marker on Main Street.

Parks and Outdoors

There is no state park or state recreation area. Maskenthine Lake Recreation Area, 2 miles north of Stanton, is run by the Lower Elkhorn NRD, and the NRD’s Pilger Recreation Area is just north of Pilger. State wildlife management areas are Wood Duck (1,832 acres, southwest of Stanton) and Red Fox (374 acres, south of Pilger). Golf is at Elkhorn Acres near Stanton. There are no motels in the county; the nearest are in Norfolk.

Stanton County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Stanton · Pilger · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Wayne County (north) · Cuming County (east) · Colfax County (south) · Platte County (southwest) · Madison County (west) · Pierce County (northwest).

Events

Pilger Days in early June; Stanton’s Fourth of July fireworks; and the Stanton County Fair in Stanton in late July (July 29–Aug. 2 in 2026).