Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW)

Douglas County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 93 counties in 2015, at 332,191 jobs. McPherson County had the lowest, at 81 jobs. The median was 2,215 jobs and the figure for Nebraska was 959,176 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest332,191Douglas County
Median2,21593 counties
Nebraska959,176History

Map of counties, 2015

Adams County: 15,370 jobsAntelope County: 2,130 jobsArthur County: 88 jobsBanner County: 154 jobsBlaine County: 129 jobsBoone County: 2,373 jobsBox Butte County: 3,912 jobsBoyd County: 585 jobsBrown County: 1,211 jobsBuffalo County: 26,839 jobsBurt County: 1,906 jobsButler County: 2,659 jobsCass County: 5,471 jobsCedar County: 2,736 jobsChase County: 1,859 jobsCherry County: 2,342 jobsCheyenne County: 5,849 jobsClay County: 2,514 jobsColfax County: 5,077 jobsCuming County: 3,813 jobsCuster County: 4,440 jobsDakota County: 12,494 jobsDawes County: 3,350 jobsDawson County: 11,453 jobsDeuel County: 582 jobsDixon County: 1,687 jobsDodge County: 16,964 jobsDouglas County: 332,191 jobsDundy County: 577 jobsFillmore County: 2,215 jobsFranklin County: 764 jobsFrontier County: 769 jobsFurnas County: 2,060 jobsGage County: 9,112 jobsGarden County: 558 jobsGarfield County: 848 jobsGosper County: 408 jobsGrant County: 264 jobsGreeley County: 621 jobsHall County: 34,560 jobsHamilton County: 3,491 jobsHarlan County: 860 jobsHayes County: 204 jobsHitchcock County: 692 jobsHolt County: 4,581 jobsHooker County: 306 jobsHoward County: 1,622 jobsJefferson County: 3,343 jobsJohnson County: 1,637 jobsKearney County: 2,249 jobsKeith County: 3,430 jobsKeya Paha County: 162 jobsKimball County: 1,432 jobsKnox County: 2,950 jobsLancaster County: 166,057 jobsLincoln County: 14,675 jobsLogan County: 191 jobsLoup County: 107 jobsMcPherson County: 81 jobsMadison County: 21,636 jobsMerrick County: 2,297 jobsMorrill County: 1,525 jobsNance County: 1,115 jobsNemaha County: 3,147 jobsNuckolls County: 1,440 jobsOtoe County: 6,221 jobsPawnee County: 894 jobsPerkins County: 1,149 jobsPhelps County: 4,755 jobsPierce County: 2,019 jobsPlatte County: 18,614 jobsPolk County: 1,479 jobsRed Willow County: 5,242 jobsRichardson County: 2,529 jobsRock County: 443 jobsSaline County: 7,033 jobsSarpy County: 67,853 jobsSaunders County: 5,313 jobsScotts Bluff County: 16,903 jobsSeward County: 6,226 jobsSheridan County: 1,737 jobsSherman County: 805 jobsSioux County: 153 jobsStanton County: 1,339 jobsThayer County: 2,459 jobsThomas County: 263 jobsThurston County: 2,893 jobsValley County: 1,747 jobsWashington County: 8,171 jobsWayne County: 4,080 jobsWebster County: 1,065 jobsWheeler County: 322 jobsYork County: 7,641 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 7,000
  • 7,000 and over
jobs, 2015. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Douglas County: 332,191 jobsDouglas County332,191Lancaster County: 166,057 jobsLancaster County166,057Sarpy County: 67,853 jobsSarpy County67,853Hall County: 34,560 jobsHall County34,560Buffalo County: 26,839 jobsBuffalo County26,839Madison County: 21,636 jobsMadison County21,636Platte County: 18,614 jobsPlatte County18,614Dodge County: 16,964 jobsDodge County16,964Scotts Bluff County: 16,903 jobsScotts Bluff County16,903Adams County: 15,370 jobsAdams County15,370Lincoln County: 14,675 jobsLincoln County14,675Dakota County: 12,494 jobsDakota County12,494Dawson County: 11,453 jobsDawson County11,453Gage County: 9,112 jobsGage County9,112Washington County: 8,171 jobsWashington County8,171York County: 7,641 jobsYork County7,641Saline County: 7,033 jobsSaline County7,033Seward County: 6,226 jobsSeward County6,226Otoe County: 6,221 jobsOtoe County6,221Cheyenne County: 5,849 jobsCheyenne County5,849Cass County: 5,471 jobsCass County5,471Saunders County: 5,313 jobsSaunders County5,313Red Willow County: 5,242 jobsRed Willow County5,242Colfax County: 5,077 jobsColfax County5,077Phelps County: 4,755 jobsPhelps County4,755Holt County: 4,581 jobsHolt County4,581Custer County: 4,440 jobsCuster County4,440Wayne County: 4,080 jobsWayne County4,080Box Butte County: 3,912 jobsBox Butte County3,912Cuming County: 3,813 jobsCuming County3,813Hamilton County: 3,491 jobsHamilton County3,491Keith County: 3,430 jobsKeith County3,430Dawes County: 3,350 jobsDawes County3,350Jefferson County: 3,343 jobsJefferson County3,343Nemaha County: 3,147 jobsNemaha County3,147Knox County: 2,950 jobsKnox County2,950Thurston County: 2,893 jobsThurston County2,893Cedar County: 2,736 jobsCedar County2,736Butler County: 2,659 jobsButler County2,659Richardson County: 2,529 jobsRichardson County2,529Douglas County: 332,191 jobsDouglas County332,191Lancaster County: 166,057 jobsLancaster County166,057Sarpy County: 67,853 jobsSarpy County67,853Hall County: 34,560 jobsHall County34,560Buffalo County: 26,839 jobsBuffalo County26,839Madison County: 21,636 jobsMadison County21,636Platte County: 18,614 jobsPlatte County18,614Dodge County: 16,964 jobsDodge County16,964Scotts Bluff County: 16,903 jobsScotts Bluff County16,903Adams County: 15,370 jobsAdams County15,370Lincoln County: 14,675 jobsLincoln County14,675Dakota County: 12,494 jobsDakota County12,494Dawson County: 11,453 jobsDawson County11,453Gage County: 9,112 jobsGage County9,112Washington County: 8,171 jobsWashington County8,171York County: 7,641 jobsYork County7,641Saline County: 7,033 jobsSaline County7,033Seward County: 6,226 jobsSeward County6,226Otoe County: 6,221 jobsOtoe County6,221Cheyenne County: 5,849 jobsCheyenne County5,849Cass County: 5,471 jobsCass County5,471Saunders County: 5,313 jobsSaunders County5,313Red Willow County: 5,242 jobsRed Willow County5,242Colfax County: 5,077 jobsColfax County5,077Phelps County: 4,755 jobsPhelps County4,755Holt County: 4,581 jobsHolt County4,581Custer County: 4,440 jobsCuster County4,440Wayne County: 4,080 jobsWayne County4,080Box Butte County: 3,912 jobsBox Butte County3,912Cuming County: 3,813 jobsCuming County3,813Hamilton County: 3,491 jobsHamilton County3,491Keith County: 3,430 jobsKeith County3,430Dawes County: 3,350 jobsDawes County3,350Jefferson County: 3,343 jobsJefferson County3,343Nemaha County: 3,147 jobsNemaha County3,147Knox County: 2,950 jobsKnox County2,950Thurston County: 2,893 jobsThurston County2,893Cedar County: 2,736 jobsCedar County2,736Butler County: 2,659 jobsButler County2,659Richardson County: 2,529 jobsRichardson County2,529
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015
jobs
Change on 2014
1Douglas County332,191+1.5%
2Lancaster County166,057+2%
3Sarpy County67,853+4.1%
4Hall County34,560-1.9%
5Buffalo County26,839+0.1%
6Madison County21,636-0%
7Platte County18,614-0.4%
8Dodge County16,964+0.8%
9Scotts Bluff County16,903+0.8%
10Adams County15,370+0.4%
11Lincoln County14,6750%
12Dakota County12,494+3.2%
13Dawson County11,453-0.9%
14Gage County9,112+1.4%
15Washington County8,171+0.8%
16York County7,641-1.2%
17Saline County7,033+2.9%
18Seward County6,226-0.9%
19Otoe County6,221+0.6%
20Cheyenne County5,849+1.2%
21Cass County5,471-0.5%
22Saunders County5,313+3.8%
23Red Willow County5,242-2.5%
24Colfax County5,077+2.2%
25Phelps County4,755-0.3%
26Holt County4,581+0.7%
27Custer County4,440+4.9%
28Wayne County4,080-0%
29Box Butte County3,912-2.4%
30Cuming County3,813-1.7%
31Hamilton County3,491+4.7%
32Keith County3,430+2.4%
33Dawes County3,350+0.5%
34Jefferson County3,343+1.2%
35Nemaha County3,147+0.9%
36Knox County2,950+1%
37Thurston County2,893-0.6%
38Cedar County2,736+0.1%
39Butler County2,659-1.4%
40Richardson County2,529+3.6%
41Clay County2,514-2.8%
42Thayer County2,459-1.3%
43Boone County2,373+0.8%
44Cherry County2,342+3.2%
45Merrick County2,297-3.5%
46Kearney County2,249-0.2%
47Fillmore County2,215-1.6%
48Antelope County2,130+1.2%
49Furnas County2,060+2.5%
50Pierce County2,019-1.1%
51Burt County1,906+1.5%
52Chase County1,859+2.1%
53Valley County1,747-0.9%
54Sheridan County1,737-1.2%
55Dixon County1,687-3.2%
56Johnson County1,637-1.4%
57Howard County1,622+4.3%
58Morrill County1,525-0.7%
59Polk County1,479+0.4%
60Nuckolls County1,440+0.9%
61Kimball County1,432-9.7%
62Stanton County1,339-1.5%
63Brown County1,211-2.2%
64Perkins County1,149-1.7%
65Nance County1,115+0.9%
66Webster County1,065+1%
67Pawnee County894+4.2%
68Harlan County860+1.9%
69Garfield County848+0.6%
70Sherman County805-0.2%
71Frontier County769+1.2%
72Franklin County764-3.3%
73Hitchcock County692-0.7%
74Greeley County621-0.5%
75Boyd County585+0.9%
76Deuel County582-0.9%
77Dundy County577-13.8%
78Garden County558+3.7%
79Rock County443-1.3%
80Gosper County408-7.3%
81Wheeler County322+1.6%
82Hooker County306-5.3%
83Grant County264-0.4%
84Thomas County263+5.2%
85Hayes County204+1%
86Logan County191-2.6%
87Keya Paha County162+4.5%
88Banner County1540%
89Sioux County153-3.8%
90Blaine County129-10.4%
91Loup County107-4.5%
92Arthur County88+4.8%
93McPherson County81+24.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of 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. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Douglas County, with 332,191 jobs in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 81 jobs in 2015.

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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Nebraska: more rankings