Stanton County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 5,842. Its county seat is Stanton. The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1867. It was first called Izard County until 1862, when it was renamed for Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War during the administration of President Abraham Lincoln. Stanton County is part of the Norfolk, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area.