Cuming County was formed in 1855 and organized in 1857.[3][4] It was named for Thomas B. Cuming, the first secretary (and twice Acting Governor) of the newly created Nebraska Territory (1854–1858).[5]
On August 26, 2019, the DHHS announced that West Point's water was unsafe to drink after a year of complaints from citizens of the town. The maximum safe level of manganese for infants had been exceeded by over 700 micrograms per mL.[7]
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 575 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 571 square miles (1,480 km2) is land and 4.0 square miles (10 km2) (0.7%) is water.[8]
There were 3,945 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.
The county population contained 27.20% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 20.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $33,186, and the median income for a family was $38,369. Males had a median income of $26,577 versus $19,246 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,443. About 7.00% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.80% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism. p. 44. Retrieved December 18, 2014.