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 2021, at 19,588. McPherson County had the lowest, at 11. The median was 255 and the figure for Nebraska was 75,199. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest19,588Douglas County
Lowest11McPherson County
Median25593 counties
Nebraska75,199History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 1,111 countAntelope County: 291 countArthur County: 21 countBanner County: 13 countBlaine County: 24 countBoone County: 274 countBox Butte County: 407 countBoyd County: 104 countBrown County: 180 countBuffalo County: 1,935 countBurt County: 259 countButler County: 286 countCass County: 710 countCedar County: 358 countChase County: 240 countCherry County: 319 countCheyenne County: 386 countClay County: 289 countColfax County: 324 countCuming County: 434 countCuster County: 506 countDakota County: 526 countDawes County: 339 countDawson County: 827 countDeuel County: 85 countDixon County: 159 countDodge County: 1,167 countDouglas County: 19,588 countDundy County: 84 countFillmore County: 289 countFranklin County: 128 countFrontier County: 92 countFurnas County: 236 countGage County: 792 countGarden County: 84 countGarfield County: 122 countGosper County: 82 countGrant County: 59 countGreeley County: 125 countHall County: 2,063 countHamilton County: 376 countHarlan County: 133 countHayes County: 39 countHitchcock County: 101 countHolt County: 530 countHooker County: 41 countHoward County: 213 countJefferson County: 281 countJohnson County: 143 countKearney County: 216 countKeith County: 415 countKeya Paha County: 35 countKimball County: 164 countKnox County: 340 countLancaster County: 10,370 countLincoln County: 1,237 countLogan County: 40 countLoup County: 24 countMcPherson County: 11 countMadison County: 1,447 countMerrick County: 286 countMorrill County: 193 countNance County: 127 countNemaha County: 236 countNuckolls County: 199 countOtoe County: 534 countPawnee County: 96 countPerkins County: 167 countPhelps County: 436 countPierce County: 247 countPlatte County: 1,193 countPolk County: 180 countRed Willow County: 460 countRichardson County: 325 countRock County: 59 countSaline County: 405 countSarpy County: 4,424 countSaunders County: 648 countScotts Bluff County: 1,388 countSeward County: 539 countSheridan County: 255 countSherman County: 115 countSioux County: 27 countStanton County: 107 countThayer County: 268 countThomas County: 42 countThurston County: 177 countValley County: 248 countWashington County: 689 countWayne County: 290 countWebster County: 134 countWheeler County: 41 countYork County: 637 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Douglas County: 19,588 countDouglas County19,588Lancaster County: 10,370 countLancaster County10,370Sarpy County: 4,424 countSarpy County4,424Hall County: 2,063 countHall County2,063Buffalo County: 1,935 countBuffalo County1,935Madison County: 1,447 countMadison County1,447Scotts Bluff County: 1,388 countScotts Bluff County1,388Lincoln County: 1,237 countLincoln County1,237Platte County: 1,193 countPlatte County1,193Dodge County: 1,167 countDodge County1,167Adams County: 1,111 countAdams County1,111Dawson County: 827 countDawson County827Gage County: 792 countGage County792Cass County: 710 countCass County710Washington County: 689 countWashington County689Saunders County: 648 countSaunders County648York County: 637 countYork County637Seward County: 539 countSeward County539Otoe County: 534 countOtoe County534Holt County: 530 countHolt County530Dakota County: 526 countDakota County526Custer County: 506 countCuster County506Red Willow County: 460 countRed Willow County460Phelps County: 436 countPhelps County436Cuming County: 434 countCuming County434Keith County: 415 countKeith County415Box Butte County: 407 countBox Butte County407Saline County: 405 countSaline County405Cheyenne County: 386 countCheyenne County386Hamilton County: 376 countHamilton County376Cedar County: 358 countCedar County358Knox County: 340 countKnox County340Dawes County: 339 countDawes County339Richardson County: 325 countRichardson County325Colfax County: 324 countColfax County324Cherry County: 319 countCherry County319Antelope County: 291 countAntelope County291Wayne County: 290 countWayne County290Clay County: 289 countClay County289Fillmore County: 289 countFillmore County289Douglas County: 19,588 countDouglas County19,588Lancaster County: 10,370 countLancaster County10,370Sarpy County: 4,424 countSarpy County4,424Hall County: 2,063 countHall County2,063Buffalo County: 1,935 countBuffalo County1,935Madison County: 1,447 countMadison County1,447Scotts Bluff County: 1,388 countScotts Bluff County1,388Lincoln County: 1,237 countLincoln County1,237Platte County: 1,193 countPlatte County1,193Dodge County: 1,167 countDodge County1,167Adams County: 1,111 countAdams County1,111Dawson County: 827 countDawson County827Gage County: 792 countGage County792Cass County: 710 countCass County710Washington County: 689 countWashington County689Saunders County: 648 countSaunders County648York County: 637 countYork County637Seward County: 539 countSeward County539Otoe County: 534 countOtoe County534Holt County: 530 countHolt County530Dakota County: 526 countDakota County526Custer County: 506 countCuster County506Red Willow County: 460 countRed Willow County460Phelps County: 436 countPhelps County436Cuming County: 434 countCuming County434Keith County: 415 countKeith County415Box Butte County: 407 countBox Butte County407Saline County: 405 countSaline County405Cheyenne County: 386 countCheyenne County386Hamilton County: 376 countHamilton County376Cedar County: 358 countCedar County358Knox County: 340 countKnox County340Dawes County: 339 countDawes County339Richardson County: 325 countRichardson County325Colfax County: 324 countColfax County324Cherry County: 319 countCherry County319Antelope County: 291 countAntelope County291Wayne County: 290 countWayne County290Clay County: 289 countClay County289Fillmore County: 289 countFillmore County289
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

RankCounties2021
count		Change on 2020
1Douglas County19,588+5.4%
2Lancaster County10,370+5.6%
3Sarpy County4,424+6.2%
4Hall County2,063+0.3%
5Buffalo County1,935+3.1%
6Madison County1,447+2.7%
7Scotts Bluff County1,388+3.4%
8Lincoln County1,237+2.9%
9Platte County1,193+3.9%
10Dodge County1,167+1.9%
11Adams County1,111+2%
12Dawson County827+1.7%
13Gage County792+1.8%
14Cass County710+5.5%
15Washington County689+5.8%
16Saunders County648+4%
17York County637+2.2%
18Seward County539+4.1%
19Otoe County534+3.9%
20Holt County530+1%
21Dakota County526+4.8%
22Custer County506+2.8%
23Red Willow County460+1.1%
24Phelps County436+2.1%
25Cuming County434+3.3%
26Keith County415+3.5%
27Box Butte County407+3.3%
28Saline County405+5.5%
29Cheyenne County386+4.3%
30Hamilton County376+3.9%
31Cedar County358+4.7%
32Knox County340+3.3%
33Dawes County339+3.4%
34Richardson County325+2.5%
35Colfax County324+1.9%
36Cherry County319+2.6%
37Antelope County291+5.1%
38Wayne County290+3.2%
39Clay County289+1.8%
39Fillmore County289+3.6%
41Butler County286+3.6%
41Merrick County286+3.2%
43Jefferson County281+4.1%
44Boone County274+4.6%
45Thayer County268+5.5%
46Burt County259+4.4%
47Sheridan County255+2.4%
48Valley County248+3.3%
49Pierce County247+2.9%
50Chase County240+0.8%
51Furnas County236+1.7%
51Nemaha County236+3.5%
53Kearney County216+2.9%
54Howard County213-2.7%
55Nuckolls County199+7.6%
56Morrill County193+2.7%
57Brown County180+4%
57Polk County180+1.7%
59Thurston County177+2.3%
60Perkins County167+2.5%
61Kimball County1640%
62Dixon County159+6%
63Johnson County143-2.1%
64Webster County134+4.7%
65Harlan County133+1.5%
66Franklin County128+7.6%
67Nance County127+2.4%
68Greeley County125+3.3%
69Garfield County122+3.4%
70Sherman County115+3.6%
71Stanton County107+4.9%
72Boyd County1040%
73Hitchcock County101+1%
74Pawnee County96-1%
75Frontier County920%
76Deuel County85+7.6%
77Dundy County840%
77Garden County84+7.7%
79Gosper County82+5.1%
80Grant County59+3.5%
80Rock County59+1.7%
82Thomas County42+5%
83Hooker County41+7.9%
83Wheeler County41+5.1%
85Logan County40-4.8%
86Hayes County390%
87Keya Paha County35+9.4%
88Sioux County27+3.8%
89Blaine County24+4.3%
89Loup County24+4.3%
91Arthur County21+5%
92Banner County130%
93McPherson County110%

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/2021/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), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/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), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2021. 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), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2021.

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), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/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), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/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 19,588 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 11 in 2021.

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