Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / Counties in Nebraska

Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025

Douglas County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 93 counties in 2025, at 18,975. McPherson County had the lowest, at 10. The median was 239 and the figure for Nebraska was 77,604. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest18,975Douglas County
Lowest10McPherson County
Median23993 counties
Nebraska77,604History

Map of counties, 2025

Adams County: 1,023 countAntelope County: 290 countArthur County: 14 countBanner County: 14 countBlaine County: 27 countBoone County: 256 countBox Butte County: 361 countBoyd County: 90 countBrown County: 161 countBuffalo County: 1,890 countBurt County: 242 countButler County: 276 countCass County: 714 countCedar County: 346 countChase County: 223 countCherry County: 289 countCheyenne County: 338 countClay County: 264 countColfax County: 310 countCuming County: 402 countCuster County: 471 countDakota County: 511 countDawes County: 286 countDawson County: 757 countDeuel County: 74 countDixon County: 148 countDodge County: 1,107 countDouglas County: 18,975 countDundy County: 84 countFillmore County: 278 countFranklin County: 130 countFrontier County: 96 countFurnas County: 209 countGage County: 729 countGarden County: 70 countGarfield County: 107 countGosper County: 76 countGrant County: 53 countGreeley County: 122 countHall County: 1,964 countHamilton County: 376 countHarlan County: 120 countHayes County: 35 countHitchcock County: 96 countHolt County: 522 countHooker County: 34 countHoward County: 223 countJefferson County: 279 countJohnson County: 128 countKearney County: 213 countKeith County: 380 countKeya Paha County: 33 countKimball County: 138 countKnox County: 330 countLancaster County: 9,818 countLincoln County: 1,126 countLogan County: 38 countLoup County: 21 countMcPherson County: 10 countMadison County: 1,324 countMerrick County: 272 countMorrill County: 178 countNance County: 104 countNemaha County: 219 countNuckolls County: 186 countOtoe County: 508 countPawnee County: 88 countPerkins County: 144 countPhelps County: 420 countPierce County: 239 countPlatte County: 1,157 countPolk County: 163 countRed Willow County: 435 countRichardson County: 291 countRock County: 60 countSaline County: 382 countSarpy County: 4,810 countSaunders County: 678 countScotts Bluff County: 1,183 countSeward County: 522 countSheridan County: 218 countSherman County: 106 countSioux County: 26 countStanton County: 98 countThayer County: 262 countThomas County: 39 countThurston County: 159 countValley County: 230 countWashington County: 694 countWayne County: 277 countWebster County: 128 countWheeler County: 40 countYork County: 644 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 700
  • 700 and over
count, 2025. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2025

Douglas County: 18,975 countDouglas County18,975Lancaster County: 9,818 countLancaster County9,818Sarpy County: 4,810 countSarpy County4,810Hall County: 1,964 countHall County1,964Buffalo County: 1,890 countBuffalo County1,890Madison County: 1,324 countMadison County1,324Scotts Bluff County: 1,183 countScotts Bluff County1,183Platte County: 1,157 countPlatte County1,157Lincoln County: 1,126 countLincoln County1,126Dodge County: 1,107 countDodge County1,107Adams County: 1,023 countAdams County1,023Dawson County: 757 countDawson County757Gage County: 729 countGage County729Cass County: 714 countCass County714Washington County: 694 countWashington County694Saunders County: 678 countSaunders County678York County: 644 countYork County644Holt County: 522 countHolt County522Seward County: 522 countSeward County522Dakota County: 511 countDakota County511Otoe County: 508 countOtoe County508Custer County: 471 countCuster County471Red Willow County: 435 countRed Willow County435Phelps County: 420 countPhelps County420Cuming County: 402 countCuming County402Saline County: 382 countSaline County382Keith County: 380 countKeith County380Hamilton County: 376 countHamilton County376Box Butte County: 361 countBox Butte County361Cedar County: 346 countCedar County346Cheyenne County: 338 countCheyenne County338Knox County: 330 countKnox County330Colfax County: 310 countColfax County310Richardson County: 291 countRichardson County291Antelope County: 290 countAntelope County290Cherry County: 289 countCherry County289Dawes County: 286 countDawes County286Jefferson County: 279 countJefferson County279Fillmore County: 278 countFillmore County278Wayne County: 277 countWayne County277Douglas County: 18,975 countDouglas County18,975Lancaster County: 9,818 countLancaster County9,818Sarpy County: 4,810 countSarpy County4,810Hall County: 1,964 countHall County1,964Buffalo County: 1,890 countBuffalo County1,890Madison County: 1,324 countMadison County1,324Scotts Bluff County: 1,183 countScotts Bluff County1,183Platte County: 1,157 countPlatte County1,157Lincoln County: 1,126 countLincoln County1,126Dodge County: 1,107 countDodge County1,107Adams County: 1,023 countAdams County1,023Dawson County: 757 countDawson County757Gage County: 729 countGage County729Cass County: 714 countCass County714Washington County: 694 countWashington County694Saunders County: 678 countSaunders County678York County: 644 countYork County644Holt County: 522 countHolt County522Seward County: 522 countSeward County522Dakota County: 511 countDakota County511Otoe County: 508 countOtoe County508Custer County: 471 countCuster County471Red Willow County: 435 countRed Willow County435Phelps County: 420 countPhelps County420Cuming County: 402 countCuming County402Saline County: 382 countSaline County382Keith County: 380 countKeith County380Hamilton County: 376 countHamilton County376Box Butte County: 361 countBox Butte County361Cedar County: 346 countCedar County346Cheyenne County: 338 countCheyenne County338Knox County: 330 countKnox County330Colfax County: 310 countColfax County310Richardson County: 291 countRichardson County291Antelope County: 290 countAntelope County290Cherry County: 289 countCherry County289Dawes County: 286 countDawes County286Jefferson County: 279 countJefferson County279Fillmore County: 278 countFillmore County278Wayne County: 277 countWayne County277
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2025
count		Change on 2024
1Douglas County18,975+0.9%
2Lancaster County9,818-0.4%
3Sarpy County4,810+5.7%
4Hall County1,964-0.9%
5Buffalo County1,890+0.6%
6Madison County1,324-1.1%
7Scotts Bluff County1,183-2.8%
8Platte County1,1570%
9Lincoln County1,1260%
10Dodge County1,107-0.2%
11Adams County1,023-2.7%
12Dawson County757-0.8%
13Gage County729-2%
14Cass County714+1.1%
15Washington County694+1.3%
16Saunders County678+3.4%
17York County644-0.3%
18Holt County522+1.2%
18Seward County522+1.2%
20Dakota County511+1.4%
21Otoe County5080%
22Custer County471-3.5%
23Red Willow County435-2.2%
24Phelps County420-0.2%
25Cuming County402+0.5%
26Saline County382-1%
27Keith County380-4.5%
28Hamilton County376-2.1%
29Box Butte County361-1.1%
30Cedar County346+1.2%
31Cheyenne County338-2.9%
32Knox County330+0.6%
33Colfax County310-0.6%
34Richardson County291-2.3%
35Antelope County290+2.1%
36Cherry County289-1.7%
37Dawes County286-5%
38Jefferson County279+1.1%
39Fillmore County278-0.7%
40Wayne County277-1.4%
41Butler County2760%
42Merrick County272-1.1%
43Clay County264-4.3%
44Thayer County2620%
45Boone County256-0.8%
46Burt County242-0.4%
47Pierce County239-2%
48Valley County230-0.9%
49Chase County223-0.4%
49Howard County223+4.2%
51Nemaha County219-0.9%
52Sheridan County218-3.1%
53Kearney County213+2.4%
54Furnas County209-1.4%
55Nuckolls County186-0.5%
56Morrill County178-3.3%
57Polk County163-5.2%
58Brown County161-3%
59Thurston County159-3%
60Dixon County148+0.7%
61Perkins County144-5.3%
62Kimball County138-4.2%
63Franklin County130-0.8%
64Johnson County128-2.3%
64Webster County1280%
66Greeley County122+0.8%
67Harlan County120-6.3%
68Garfield County107-0.9%
69Sherman County106-3.6%
70Nance County104-7.1%
71Stanton County98+4.3%
72Frontier County96-2%
72Hitchcock County96+4.3%
74Boyd County90-2.2%
75Pawnee County88-5.4%
76Dundy County840%
77Gosper County760%
78Deuel County74-5.1%
79Garden County70-2.8%
80Rock County600%
81Grant County53-1.9%
82Wheeler County400%
83Thomas County39-7.1%
84Logan County38+11.8%
85Hayes County35-7.9%
86Hooker County34+9.7%
87Keya Paha County33+3.1%
88Blaine County27+3.8%
89Sioux County26-3.7%
90Loup County21+5%
91Arthur County140%
91Banner County140%
93McPherson County100%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Douglas County, with 18,975 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 10 in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Nebraska: more rankings