Cuming County was formed in 1855 and organized in 1857. It was named for Thomas B. Cuming, the first secretary of the newly-created Nebraska Territory. The courthouse dates from the 1950s. 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.
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 10,203 people, 3,945 households, and 2,757 families in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile. There were 4,283 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 95.88% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.63% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 5.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 67.4% were of German and 5.6% American ancestry. There were 3,945 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couplesliving 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.
