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 2024, at 18,801. McPherson County had the lowest, at 10. The median was 243 and the figure for Nebraska was 76,834. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest18,801Douglas County
Lowest10McPherson County
Median24393 counties
Nebraska76,834History

Map of counties, 2024

Adams County: 1,051 countAntelope County: 284 countArthur County: 14 countBanner County: 14 countBlaine County: 26 countBoone County: 258 countBox Butte County: 365 countBoyd County: 92 countBrown County: 166 countBuffalo County: 1,879 countBurt County: 243 countButler County: 276 countCass County: 706 countCedar County: 342 countChase County: 224 countCherry County: 294 countCheyenne County: 348 countClay County: 276 countColfax County: 312 countCuming County: 400 countCuster County: 488 countDakota County: 504 countDawes County: 301 countDawson County: 763 countDeuel County: 78 countDixon County: 147 countDodge County: 1,109 countDouglas County: 18,801 countDundy County: 84 countFillmore County: 280 countFranklin County: 131 countFrontier County: 98 countFurnas County: 212 countGage County: 744 countGarden County: 72 countGarfield County: 108 countGosper County: 76 countGrant County: 54 countGreeley County: 121 countHall County: 1,982 countHamilton County: 384 countHarlan County: 128 countHayes County: 38 countHitchcock County: 92 countHolt County: 516 countHooker County: 31 countHoward County: 214 countJefferson County: 276 countJohnson County: 131 countKearney County: 208 countKeith County: 398 countKeya Paha County: 32 countKimball County: 144 countKnox County: 328 countLancaster County: 9,853 countLincoln County: 1,126 countLogan County: 34 countLoup County: 20 countMcPherson County: 10 countMadison County: 1,339 countMerrick County: 275 countMorrill County: 184 countNance County: 112 countNemaha County: 221 countNuckolls County: 187 countOtoe County: 508 countPawnee County: 93 countPerkins County: 152 countPhelps County: 421 countPierce County: 244 countPlatte County: 1,157 countPolk County: 172 countRed Willow County: 445 countRichardson County: 298 countRock County: 60 countSaline County: 386 countSarpy County: 4,552 countSaunders County: 656 countScotts Bluff County: 1,217 countSeward County: 516 countSheridan County: 225 countSherman County: 110 countSioux County: 27 countStanton County: 94 countThayer County: 262 countThomas County: 42 countThurston County: 164 countValley County: 232 countWashington County: 685 countWayne County: 281 countWebster County: 128 countWheeler County: 40 countYork County: 646 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 700
  • 700 and over
count, 2024. 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, 2024

Douglas County: 18,801 countDouglas County18,801Lancaster County: 9,853 countLancaster County9,853Sarpy County: 4,552 countSarpy County4,552Hall County: 1,982 countHall County1,982Buffalo County: 1,879 countBuffalo County1,879Madison County: 1,339 countMadison County1,339Scotts Bluff County: 1,217 countScotts Bluff County1,217Platte County: 1,157 countPlatte County1,157Lincoln County: 1,126 countLincoln County1,126Dodge County: 1,109 countDodge County1,109Adams County: 1,051 countAdams County1,051Dawson County: 763 countDawson County763Gage County: 744 countGage County744Cass County: 706 countCass County706Washington County: 685 countWashington County685Saunders County: 656 countSaunders County656York County: 646 countYork County646Holt County: 516 countHolt County516Seward County: 516 countSeward County516Otoe County: 508 countOtoe County508Dakota County: 504 countDakota County504Custer County: 488 countCuster County488Red Willow County: 445 countRed Willow County445Phelps County: 421 countPhelps County421Cuming County: 400 countCuming County400Keith County: 398 countKeith County398Saline County: 386 countSaline County386Hamilton County: 384 countHamilton County384Box Butte County: 365 countBox Butte County365Cheyenne County: 348 countCheyenne County348Cedar County: 342 countCedar County342Knox County: 328 countKnox County328Colfax County: 312 countColfax County312Dawes County: 301 countDawes County301Richardson County: 298 countRichardson County298Cherry County: 294 countCherry County294Antelope County: 284 countAntelope County284Wayne County: 281 countWayne County281Fillmore County: 280 countFillmore County280Butler County: 276 countButler County276Douglas County: 18,801 countDouglas County18,801Lancaster County: 9,853 countLancaster County9,853Sarpy County: 4,552 countSarpy County4,552Hall County: 1,982 countHall County1,982Buffalo County: 1,879 countBuffalo County1,879Madison County: 1,339 countMadison County1,339Scotts Bluff County: 1,217 countScotts Bluff County1,217Platte County: 1,157 countPlatte County1,157Lincoln County: 1,126 countLincoln County1,126Dodge County: 1,109 countDodge County1,109Adams County: 1,051 countAdams County1,051Dawson County: 763 countDawson County763Gage County: 744 countGage County744Cass County: 706 countCass County706Washington County: 685 countWashington County685Saunders County: 656 countSaunders County656York County: 646 countYork County646Holt County: 516 countHolt County516Seward County: 516 countSeward County516Otoe County: 508 countOtoe County508Dakota County: 504 countDakota County504Custer County: 488 countCuster County488Red Willow County: 445 countRed Willow County445Phelps County: 421 countPhelps County421Cuming County: 400 countCuming County400Keith County: 398 countKeith County398Saline County: 386 countSaline County386Hamilton County: 384 countHamilton County384Box Butte County: 365 countBox Butte County365Cheyenne County: 348 countCheyenne County348Cedar County: 342 countCedar County342Knox County: 328 countKnox County328Colfax County: 312 countColfax County312Dawes County: 301 countDawes County301Richardson County: 298 countRichardson County298Cherry County: 294 countCherry County294Antelope County: 284 countAntelope County284Wayne County: 281 countWayne County281Fillmore County: 280 countFillmore County280Butler County: 276 countButler County276
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

RankCounties2024
count		Change on 2023
1Douglas County18,801-1.2%
2Lancaster County9,853-3.1%
3Sarpy County4,552-0.2%
4Hall County1,982-2.2%
5Buffalo County1,879-2.4%
6Madison County1,339-1.6%
7Scotts Bluff County1,217-4.1%
8Platte County1,157-0.9%
9Lincoln County1,126-1%
10Dodge County1,109-0.7%
11Adams County1,051-3.4%
12Dawson County763-2.3%
13Gage County744-1.1%
14Cass County706-1.3%
15Washington County685-2.1%
16Saunders County656-0.6%
17York County646+0.2%
18Holt County516-1.7%
18Seward County516-1.5%
20Otoe County508-1.7%
21Dakota County504-0.4%
22Custer County488-1.4%
23Red Willow County445-0.7%
24Phelps County421-0.5%
25Cuming County400-2.9%
26Keith County398-0.3%
27Saline County386-4.7%
28Hamilton County384+1.9%
29Box Butte County365-2.4%
30Cheyenne County348-3.9%
31Cedar County342+0.3%
32Knox County328+0.6%
33Colfax County312-1.3%
34Dawes County301-4.4%
35Richardson County298-3.9%
36Cherry County294-2.6%
37Antelope County284+2.2%
38Wayne County2810%
39Fillmore County280+0.4%
40Butler County276-2.1%
40Clay County276-1.4%
40Jefferson County276-0.4%
43Merrick County275-1.1%
44Thayer County262-1.1%
45Boone County258+0.4%
46Pierce County244-1.2%
47Burt County243-2.4%
48Valley County232-3.3%
49Sheridan County225-3.8%
50Chase County224-1.3%
51Nemaha County221+0.9%
52Howard County214+0.9%
53Furnas County212+0.5%
54Kearney County208+1%
55Nuckolls County187-3.1%
56Morrill County184-3.7%
57Polk County172-2.3%
58Brown County166-5.1%
59Thurston County164+2.5%
60Perkins County152-5%
61Dixon County147-1.3%
62Kimball County144-5.3%
63Franklin County131-1.5%
63Johnson County131-0.8%
65Harlan County128+1.6%
65Webster County128-1.5%
67Greeley County121-0.8%
68Nance County1120%
69Sherman County1100%
70Garfield County108-3.6%
71Frontier County980%
72Stanton County94-3.1%
73Pawnee County93-2.1%
74Boyd County92-3.2%
74Hitchcock County92-2.1%
76Dundy County84-2.3%
77Deuel County78-3.7%
78Gosper County76+1.3%
79Garden County72-4%
80Rock County600%
81Grant County54-1.8%
82Thomas County42+5%
83Wheeler County40+2.6%
84Hayes County38+5.6%
85Logan County34-2.9%
86Keya Paha County32-5.9%
87Hooker County31-11.4%
88Sioux County27-3.6%
89Blaine County26+13%
90Loup County200%
91Arthur County14-6.7%
91Banner County14+7.7%
93McPherson County10-9.1%

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/2024/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), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2024. 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), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2024.

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), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2024,
  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), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2024. 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/2024/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), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/nebraska-counties?period=2024.
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/2024/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 18,801 in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 10 in 2024.

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