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

Counties in Nebraska by business establishments (QCEW)

Douglas County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 93 counties in 2016, at 18,933. McPherson County had the lowest, at 13. The median was 256 and the figure for Nebraska was 72,080. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest18,933Douglas County
Lowest13McPherson County
Median25693 counties
Nebraska72,080History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 1,203 countAntelope County: 302 countArthur County: 17 countBanner County: 16 countBlaine County: 23 countBoone County: 267 countBox Butte County: 431 countBoyd County: 110 countBrown County: 166 countBuffalo County: 1,916 countBurt County: 282 countButler County: 281 countCass County: 687 countCedar County: 361 countChase County: 232 countCherry County: 341 countCheyenne County: 419 countClay County: 291 countColfax County: 338 countCuming County: 458 countCuster County: 526 countDakota County: 571 countDawes County: 374 countDawson County: 906 countDeuel County: 85 countDixon County: 154 countDodge County: 1,214 countDouglas County: 18,933 countDundy County: 99 countFillmore County: 300 countFranklin County: 130 countFrontier County: 91 countFurnas County: 247 countGage County: 842 countGarden County: 89 countGarfield County: 122 countGosper County: 67 countGrant County: 49 countGreeley County: 118 countHall County: 2,186 countHamilton County: 385 countHarlan County: 150 countHayes County: 40 countHitchcock County: 98 countHolt County: 574 countHooker County: 37 countHoward County: 210 countJefferson County: 315 countJohnson County: 153 countKearney County: 236 countKeith County: 444 countKeya Paha County: 34 countKimball County: 159 countKnox County: 362 countLancaster County: 10,147 countLincoln County: 1,334 countLogan County: 40 countLoup County: 20 countMcPherson County: 13 countMadison County: 1,532 countMerrick County: 292 countMorrill County: 200 countNance County: 158 countNemaha County: 236 countNuckolls County: 204 countOtoe County: 582 countPawnee County: 106 countPerkins County: 172 countPhelps County: 463 countPierce County: 252 countPlatte County: 1,209 countPolk County: 188 countRed Willow County: 523 countRichardson County: 330 countRock County: 65 countSaline County: 401 countSarpy County: 3,881 countSaunders County: 605 countScotts Bluff County: 1,544 countSeward County: 546 countSheridan County: 279 countSherman County: 117 countSioux County: 30 countStanton County: 114 countThayer County: 256 countThomas County: 37 countThurston County: 196 countValley County: 250 countWashington County: 656 countWayne County: 285 countWebster County: 146 countWheeler County: 41 countYork County: 648 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

Douglas County: 18,933 countDouglas County18,933Lancaster County: 10,147 countLancaster County10,147Sarpy County: 3,881 countSarpy County3,881Hall County: 2,186 countHall County2,186Buffalo County: 1,916 countBuffalo County1,916Scotts Bluff County: 1,544 countScotts Bluff County1,544Madison County: 1,532 countMadison County1,532Lincoln County: 1,334 countLincoln County1,334Dodge County: 1,214 countDodge County1,214Platte County: 1,209 countPlatte County1,209Adams County: 1,203 countAdams County1,203Dawson County: 906 countDawson County906Gage County: 842 countGage County842Cass County: 687 countCass County687Washington County: 656 countWashington County656York County: 648 countYork County648Saunders County: 605 countSaunders County605Otoe County: 582 countOtoe County582Holt County: 574 countHolt County574Dakota County: 571 countDakota County571Seward County: 546 countSeward County546Custer County: 526 countCuster County526Red Willow County: 523 countRed Willow County523Phelps County: 463 countPhelps County463Cuming County: 458 countCuming County458Keith County: 444 countKeith County444Box Butte County: 431 countBox Butte County431Cheyenne County: 419 countCheyenne County419Saline County: 401 countSaline County401Hamilton County: 385 countHamilton County385Dawes County: 374 countDawes County374Knox County: 362 countKnox County362Cedar County: 361 countCedar County361Cherry County: 341 countCherry County341Colfax County: 338 countColfax County338Richardson County: 330 countRichardson County330Jefferson County: 315 countJefferson County315Antelope County: 302 countAntelope County302Fillmore County: 300 countFillmore County300Merrick County: 292 countMerrick County292Douglas County: 18,933 countDouglas County18,933Lancaster County: 10,147 countLancaster County10,147Sarpy County: 3,881 countSarpy County3,881Hall County: 2,186 countHall County2,186Buffalo County: 1,916 countBuffalo County1,916Scotts Bluff County: 1,544 countScotts Bluff County1,544Madison County: 1,532 countMadison County1,532Lincoln County: 1,334 countLincoln County1,334Dodge County: 1,214 countDodge County1,214Platte County: 1,209 countPlatte County1,209Adams County: 1,203 countAdams County1,203Dawson County: 906 countDawson County906Gage County: 842 countGage County842Cass County: 687 countCass County687Washington County: 656 countWashington County656York County: 648 countYork County648Saunders County: 605 countSaunders County605Otoe County: 582 countOtoe County582Holt County: 574 countHolt County574Dakota County: 571 countDakota County571Seward County: 546 countSeward County546Custer County: 526 countCuster County526Red Willow County: 523 countRed Willow County523Phelps County: 463 countPhelps County463Cuming County: 458 countCuming County458Keith County: 444 countKeith County444Box Butte County: 431 countBox Butte County431Cheyenne County: 419 countCheyenne County419Saline County: 401 countSaline County401Hamilton County: 385 countHamilton County385Dawes County: 374 countDawes County374Knox County: 362 countKnox County362Cedar County: 361 countCedar County361Cherry County: 341 countCherry County341Colfax County: 338 countColfax County338Richardson County: 330 countRichardson County330Jefferson County: 315 countJefferson County315Antelope County: 302 countAntelope County302Fillmore County: 300 countFillmore County300Merrick County: 292 countMerrick County292
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

RankCounties2016
count		Change on 2015
1Douglas County18,933+2.5%
2Lancaster County10,147+2.2%
3Sarpy County3,881+2.4%
4Hall County2,186+1%
5Buffalo County1,916+0.9%
6Scotts Bluff County1,544+1%
7Madison County1,532+0.7%
8Lincoln County1,334-1.3%
9Dodge County1,214+2.2%
10Platte County1,209-0.1%
11Adams County1,203+0.9%
12Dawson County906+0.2%
13Gage County842-0.5%
14Cass County687+1.6%
15Washington County656+3.6%
16York County648-1.8%
17Saunders County605+1.7%
18Otoe County582-0.2%
19Holt County574+0.2%
20Dakota County571+0.9%
21Seward County546+2.1%
22Custer County526+2.5%
23Red Willow County523+0.6%
24Phelps County463+1.5%
25Cuming County458-0.4%
26Keith County444-0.9%
27Box Butte County431-0.9%
28Cheyenne County419-1.2%
29Saline County401+3.1%
30Hamilton County385+0.8%
31Dawes County374-1.3%
32Knox County362-1.4%
33Cedar County361-2.2%
34Cherry County341+1.5%
35Colfax County338+0.6%
36Richardson County330-0.9%
37Jefferson County315-1.3%
38Antelope County302-0.7%
39Fillmore County300-2.6%
40Merrick County292-1.7%
41Clay County291-1.4%
42Wayne County285-0.3%
43Burt County282-0.4%
44Butler County2810%
45Sheridan County279+3%
46Boone County267+0.8%
47Thayer County256-0.4%
48Pierce County2520%
49Valley County250+2.9%
50Furnas County247-1.6%
51Kearney County2360%
51Nemaha County236-2.1%
53Chase County232+1.3%
54Howard County210+1%
55Nuckolls County204-2.9%
56Morrill County200-1.5%
57Thurston County196-1%
58Polk County188+0.5%
59Perkins County1720%
60Brown County166-0.6%
61Kimball County159-4.8%
62Nance County158-4.2%
63Dixon County154+4.1%
64Johnson County153-1.3%
65Harlan County150+1.4%
66Webster County146-0.7%
67Franklin County130-0.8%
68Garfield County122+2.5%
69Greeley County118+1.7%
70Sherman County117+2.6%
71Stanton County114-1.7%
72Boyd County110-1.8%
73Pawnee County106-0.9%
74Dundy County99-1%
75Hitchcock County980%
76Frontier County91+4.6%
77Garden County89+8.5%
78Deuel County85-1.2%
79Gosper County67-8.2%
80Rock County65-1.5%
81Grant County49-2%
82Wheeler County410%
83Hayes County40-2.4%
83Logan County40-4.8%
85Hooker County37+5.7%
85Thomas County37-2.6%
87Keya Paha County34-2.9%
88Sioux County30+3.4%
89Blaine County230%
90Loup County200%
91Arthur County17-5.6%
92Banner County16-15.8%
93McPherson County13-7.1%

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/2016/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), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/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), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2016. 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), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2016.

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), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2016,
  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), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2016. 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/2016/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), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2016.
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/2016/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 18,933 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 13 in 2016.

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