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 2023, at 19,032. McPherson County had the lowest, at 11. The median was 247 and the figure for Nebraska was 76,887. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest19,032Douglas County
Lowest11McPherson County
Median24793 counties
Nebraska76,887History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 1,088 countAntelope County: 278 countArthur County: 15 countBanner County: 13 countBlaine County: 23 countBoone County: 257 countBox Butte County: 374 countBoyd County: 95 countBrown County: 175 countBuffalo County: 1,925 countBurt County: 249 countButler County: 282 countCass County: 715 countCedar County: 341 countChase County: 227 countCherry County: 302 countCheyenne County: 362 countClay County: 280 countColfax County: 316 countCuming County: 412 countCuster County: 495 countDakota County: 506 countDawes County: 315 countDawson County: 781 countDeuel County: 81 countDixon County: 149 countDodge County: 1,117 countDouglas County: 19,032 countDundy County: 86 countFillmore County: 279 countFranklin County: 133 countFrontier County: 98 countFurnas County: 211 countGage County: 752 countGarden County: 75 countGarfield County: 112 countGosper County: 75 countGrant County: 55 countGreeley County: 122 countHall County: 2,026 countHamilton County: 377 countHarlan County: 126 countHayes County: 36 countHitchcock County: 94 countHolt County: 525 countHooker County: 35 countHoward County: 212 countJefferson County: 277 countJohnson County: 132 countKearney County: 206 countKeith County: 399 countKeya Paha County: 34 countKimball County: 152 countKnox County: 326 countLancaster County: 10,164 countLincoln County: 1,137 countLogan County: 35 countLoup County: 20 countMcPherson County: 11 countMadison County: 1,361 countMerrick County: 278 countMorrill County: 191 countNance County: 112 countNemaha County: 219 countNuckolls County: 193 countOtoe County: 517 countPawnee County: 95 countPerkins County: 160 countPhelps County: 423 countPierce County: 247 countPlatte County: 1,168 countPolk County: 176 countRed Willow County: 448 countRichardson County: 310 countRock County: 60 countSaline County: 405 countSarpy County: 4,560 countSaunders County: 660 countScotts Bluff County: 1,269 countSeward County: 524 countSheridan County: 234 countSherman County: 110 countSioux County: 28 countStanton County: 97 countThayer County: 265 countThomas County: 40 countThurston County: 160 countValley County: 240 countWashington County: 700 countWayne County: 281 countWebster County: 130 countWheeler County: 39 countYork County: 645 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 700
  • 700 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Douglas County: 19,032 countDouglas County19,032Lancaster County: 10,164 countLancaster County10,164Sarpy County: 4,560 countSarpy County4,560Hall County: 2,026 countHall County2,026Buffalo County: 1,925 countBuffalo County1,925Madison County: 1,361 countMadison County1,361Scotts Bluff County: 1,269 countScotts Bluff County1,269Platte County: 1,168 countPlatte County1,168Lincoln County: 1,137 countLincoln County1,137Dodge County: 1,117 countDodge County1,117Adams County: 1,088 countAdams County1,088Dawson County: 781 countDawson County781Gage County: 752 countGage County752Cass County: 715 countCass County715Washington County: 700 countWashington County700Saunders County: 660 countSaunders County660York County: 645 countYork County645Holt County: 525 countHolt County525Seward County: 524 countSeward County524Otoe County: 517 countOtoe County517Dakota County: 506 countDakota County506Custer County: 495 countCuster County495Red Willow County: 448 countRed Willow County448Phelps County: 423 countPhelps County423Cuming County: 412 countCuming County412Saline County: 405 countSaline County405Keith County: 399 countKeith County399Hamilton County: 377 countHamilton County377Box Butte County: 374 countBox Butte County374Cheyenne County: 362 countCheyenne County362Cedar County: 341 countCedar County341Knox County: 326 countKnox County326Colfax County: 316 countColfax County316Dawes County: 315 countDawes County315Richardson County: 310 countRichardson County310Cherry County: 302 countCherry County302Butler County: 282 countButler County282Wayne County: 281 countWayne County281Clay County: 280 countClay County280Fillmore County: 279 countFillmore County279Douglas County: 19,032 countDouglas County19,032Lancaster County: 10,164 countLancaster County10,164Sarpy County: 4,560 countSarpy County4,560Hall County: 2,026 countHall County2,026Buffalo County: 1,925 countBuffalo County1,925Madison County: 1,361 countMadison County1,361Scotts Bluff County: 1,269 countScotts Bluff County1,269Platte County: 1,168 countPlatte County1,168Lincoln County: 1,137 countLincoln County1,137Dodge County: 1,117 countDodge County1,117Adams County: 1,088 countAdams County1,088Dawson County: 781 countDawson County781Gage County: 752 countGage County752Cass County: 715 countCass County715Washington County: 700 countWashington County700Saunders County: 660 countSaunders County660York County: 645 countYork County645Holt County: 525 countHolt County525Seward County: 524 countSeward County524Otoe County: 517 countOtoe County517Dakota County: 506 countDakota County506Custer County: 495 countCuster County495Red Willow County: 448 countRed Willow County448Phelps County: 423 countPhelps County423Cuming County: 412 countCuming County412Saline County: 405 countSaline County405Keith County: 399 countKeith County399Hamilton County: 377 countHamilton County377Box Butte County: 374 countBox Butte County374Cheyenne County: 362 countCheyenne County362Cedar County: 341 countCedar County341Knox County: 326 countKnox County326Colfax County: 316 countColfax County316Dawes County: 315 countDawes County315Richardson County: 310 countRichardson County310Cherry County: 302 countCherry County302Butler County: 282 countButler County282Wayne County: 281 countWayne County281Clay County: 280 countClay County280Fillmore County: 279 countFillmore County279
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

RankCounties2023
count		Change on 2022
1Douglas County19,032-3.6%
2Lancaster County10,164-3.4%
3Sarpy County4,5600%
4Hall County2,026-2%
5Buffalo County1,925-1.4%
6Madison County1,361-4.1%
7Scotts Bluff County1,269-7%
8Platte County1,168-1.8%
9Lincoln County1,137-6.3%
10Dodge County1,117-3.2%
11Adams County1,088-3.4%
12Dawson County781-4.6%
13Gage County752-4.4%
14Cass County715-1.4%
15Washington County700+0.6%
16Saunders County660+0.5%
17York County6450%
18Holt County525-2.1%
19Seward County524-2.4%
20Otoe County517-1.9%
21Dakota County506-4.5%
22Custer County495-1%
23Red Willow County448-1.8%
24Phelps County423-2.5%
25Cuming County412-3.3%
26Saline County405-0.2%
27Keith County399-3.9%
28Hamilton County3770%
29Box Butte County374-7.2%
30Cheyenne County362-6.9%
31Cedar County341-3.4%
32Knox County326-3.3%
33Colfax County316-4%
34Dawes County315-4.3%
35Richardson County310-3.1%
36Cherry County302-5.6%
37Butler County282-2.1%
38Wayne County281-2.4%
39Clay County280-1.8%
40Fillmore County279-4.1%
41Antelope County278-5.1%
41Merrick County278-3.1%
43Jefferson County277-0.7%
44Thayer County265-0.4%
45Boone County257-5.9%
46Burt County249-4.2%
47Pierce County247-0.8%
48Valley County240-2.8%
49Sheridan County234-4.9%
50Chase County227-3%
51Nemaha County219-3.5%
52Howard County212-0.9%
53Furnas County211-8.3%
54Kearney County206-4.2%
55Nuckolls County193-3.5%
56Morrill County191-0.5%
57Polk County176-1.7%
58Brown County175-2.2%
59Perkins County160-1.8%
59Thurston County160-5.3%
61Kimball County152-6.7%
62Dixon County149-5.1%
63Franklin County133+0.8%
64Johnson County132-5.7%
65Webster County130-4.4%
66Harlan County126-4.5%
67Greeley County122-1.6%
68Garfield County112-4.3%
68Nance County112-8.9%
70Sherman County1100%
71Frontier County98+2.1%
72Stanton County97-8.5%
73Boyd County95-5%
73Pawnee County95-1%
75Hitchcock County94-6.9%
76Dundy County86-3.4%
77Deuel County81-4.7%
78Garden County75-8.5%
78Gosper County75-7.4%
80Rock County600%
81Grant County55-1.8%
82Thomas County40-4.8%
83Wheeler County390%
84Hayes County36-2.7%
85Hooker County35-16.7%
85Logan County35-12.5%
87Keya Paha County34-2.9%
88Sioux County280%
89Blaine County23-8%
90Loup County20-9.1%
91Arthur County15-16.7%
92Banner County13+8.3%
93McPherson County11+10%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 19,032 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 11 in 2023.

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