This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Most socially connected counties in Nebraska
In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Nebraska using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
#20. Thayer County and Fillmore County
- Thayer County population: 4,829
- Fillmore County population: 5,548
- Social connectedness index: 13,973,025
#19. Sheridan County and Dawes County
- Sheridan County population: 4,928
- Dawes County population: 8,133
- Social connectedness index: 17,013,240
#18. Cherry County and Hooker County
- Cherry County population: 5,492
- Hooker County population: 679
- Social connectedness index: 18,414,463
#17. Nance County and Boone County
- Nance County population: 3,274
- Boone County population: 5,310
- Social connectedness index: 18,938,680
#16. Keith County and Perkins County
- Keith County population: 8,113
- Perkins County population: 2,795
- Social connectedness index: 19,514,081
#15. Webster County and Franklin County
- Webster County population: 3,351
- Franklin County population: 2,825
- Social connectedness index: 21,597,070
#14. Valley County and Sherman County
- Valley County population: 4,012
- Sherman County population: 2,983
- Social connectedness index: 22,959,804
#13. Furnas County and Harlan County
- Furnas County population: 4,556
- Harlan County population: 3,045
- Social connectedness index: 23,608,906
#12. Frontier County and Gosper County
- Frontier County population: 2,585
- Gosper County population: 1,847
- Social connectedness index: 23,941,706
#11. Johnson County and Pawnee County
- Johnson County population: 5,198
- Pawnee County population: 2,512
- Social connectedness index: 24,004,248
#10. Holt County and Boyd County
- Holt County population: 10,093
- Boyd County population: 1,725
- Social connectedness index: 24,610,746
#9. Kimball County and Banner County
- Kimball County population: 3,289
- Banner County population: 674
- Social connectedness index: 26,703,598
#8. Chase County and Dundy County
- Chase County population: 3,724
- Dundy County population: 1,561
- Social connectedness index: 27,338,551
#7. Hayes County and Hitchcock County
- Hayes County population: 846
- Hitchcock County population: 2,552
- Social connectedness index: 46,316,606
#6. Wheeler County and Greeley County
- Wheeler County population: 775
- Greeley County population: 2,219
- Social connectedness index: 56,902,755
#5. McPherson County and Logan County
- McPherson County population: 383
- Logan County population: 655
- Social connectedness index: 86,257,585
#4. Rock County and Keya Paha County
- Rock County population: 1,271
- Keya Paha County population: 805
- Social connectedness index: 98,610,635
#3. Garfield County and Loup County
- Garfield County population: 1,763
- Loup County population: 592
- Social connectedness index: 115,357,241
#2. Grant County and Arthur County
- Grant County population: 565
- Arthur County population: 412
- Social connectedness index: 179,330,848
#1. Thomas County and Blaine County
- Thomas County population: 677
- Blaine County population: 436
- Social connectedness index: 202,758,428
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.