[2] The county was formed in 1854 and was named in reference to the Otoe Indian tribe.

[3] In the Nebraska license plate system, Otoe County is represented by the prefix 11 (it had the 11th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).

The terrain of Otoe County consists of rolling hills which drop down to the river basin, and rich soil.

The area is largely devoted to agriculture (corn, soybeans, milo, wheat, and fruit orchards).

[5] As of the 2000 United States Census[11] there were 15,396 people, 6,060 households, and 4,229 families in the county.

In no presidential election has the county supported the Democratic nominee since voting in 1932 for Franklin Delano Roosevelt.