Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW)

Douglas County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 93 counties in 2017, at 338,872 jobs. McPherson County had the lowest, at 74 jobs. The median was 2,164 jobs and the figure for Nebraska was 972,764 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest338,872Douglas County
Median2,16493 counties
Nebraska972,764History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 15,449 jobsAntelope County: 2,164 jobsArthur County: 84 jobsBanner County: 112 jobsBlaine County: 127 jobsBoone County: 2,314 jobsBox Butte County: 3,816 jobsBoyd County: 587 jobsBrown County: 1,231 jobsBuffalo County: 27,014 jobsBurt County: 1,827 jobsButler County: 2,563 jobsCass County: 5,764 jobsCedar County: 2,617 jobsChase County: 1,853 jobsCherry County: 2,317 jobsCheyenne County: 5,068 jobsClay County: 2,369 jobsColfax County: 5,187 jobsCuming County: 3,709 jobsCuster County: 4,569 jobsDakota County: 12,703 jobsDawes County: 3,331 jobsDawson County: 11,419 jobsDeuel County: 580 jobsDixon County: 1,729 jobsDodge County: 17,387 jobsDouglas County: 338,872 jobsDundy County: 578 jobsFillmore County: 2,141 jobsFranklin County: 739 jobsFrontier County: 816 jobsFurnas County: 2,049 jobsGage County: 9,094 jobsGarden County: 568 jobsGarfield County: 819 jobsGosper County: 373 jobsGrant County: 298 jobsGreeley County: 615 jobsHall County: 34,927 jobsHamilton County: 3,642 jobsHarlan County: 852 jobsHayes County: 196 jobsHitchcock County: 651 jobsHolt County: 4,518 jobsHooker County: 320 jobsHoward County: 1,603 jobsJefferson County: 3,323 jobsJohnson County: 1,563 jobsKearney County: 2,217 jobsKeith County: 3,341 jobsKeya Paha County: 146 jobsKimball County: 1,392 jobsKnox County: 2,949 jobsLancaster County: 168,467 jobsLincoln County: 14,779 jobsLogan County: 184 jobsLoup County: 122 jobsMcPherson County: 74 jobsMadison County: 21,668 jobsMerrick County: 2,311 jobsMorrill County: 1,528 jobsNance County: 1,079 jobsNemaha County: 3,076 jobsNuckolls County: 1,444 jobsOtoe County: 6,119 jobsPawnee County: 762 jobsPerkins County: 1,139 jobsPhelps County: 4,750 jobsPierce County: 1,987 jobsPlatte County: 18,839 jobsPolk County: 1,453 jobsRed Willow County: 5,058 jobsRichardson County: 2,469 jobsRock County: 478 jobsSaline County: 7,167 jobsSarpy County: 70,382 jobsSaunders County: 5,339 jobsScotts Bluff County: 16,726 jobsSeward County: 6,253 jobsSheridan County: 1,754 jobsSherman County: 791 jobsSioux County: 154 jobsStanton County: 1,334 jobsThayer County: 2,388 jobsThomas County: 259 jobsThurston County: 2,990 jobsValley County: 1,825 jobsWashington County: 7,867 jobsWayne County: 4,170 jobsWebster County: 1,045 jobsWheeler County: 317 jobsYork County: 7,809 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 and over
jobs, 2017. 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, 2017

Douglas County: 338,872 jobsDouglas County338,872Lancaster County: 168,467 jobsLancaster County168,467Sarpy County: 70,382 jobsSarpy County70,382Hall County: 34,927 jobsHall County34,927Buffalo County: 27,014 jobsBuffalo County27,014Madison County: 21,668 jobsMadison County21,668Platte County: 18,839 jobsPlatte County18,839Dodge County: 17,387 jobsDodge County17,387Scotts Bluff County: 16,726 jobsScotts Bluff County16,726Adams County: 15,449 jobsAdams County15,449Lincoln County: 14,779 jobsLincoln County14,779Dakota County: 12,703 jobsDakota County12,703Dawson County: 11,419 jobsDawson County11,419Gage County: 9,094 jobsGage County9,094Washington County: 7,867 jobsWashington County7,867York County: 7,809 jobsYork County7,809Saline County: 7,167 jobsSaline County7,167Seward County: 6,253 jobsSeward County6,253Otoe County: 6,119 jobsOtoe County6,119Cass County: 5,764 jobsCass County5,764Saunders County: 5,339 jobsSaunders County5,339Colfax County: 5,187 jobsColfax County5,187Cheyenne County: 5,068 jobsCheyenne County5,068Red Willow County: 5,058 jobsRed Willow County5,058Phelps County: 4,750 jobsPhelps County4,750Custer County: 4,569 jobsCuster County4,569Holt County: 4,518 jobsHolt County4,518Wayne County: 4,170 jobsWayne County4,170Box Butte County: 3,816 jobsBox Butte County3,816Cuming County: 3,709 jobsCuming County3,709Hamilton County: 3,642 jobsHamilton County3,642Keith County: 3,341 jobsKeith County3,341Dawes County: 3,331 jobsDawes County3,331Jefferson County: 3,323 jobsJefferson County3,323Nemaha County: 3,076 jobsNemaha County3,076Thurston County: 2,990 jobsThurston County2,990Knox County: 2,949 jobsKnox County2,949Cedar County: 2,617 jobsCedar County2,617Butler County: 2,563 jobsButler County2,563Richardson County: 2,469 jobsRichardson County2,469Douglas County: 338,872 jobsDouglas County338,872Lancaster County: 168,467 jobsLancaster County168,467Sarpy County: 70,382 jobsSarpy County70,382Hall County: 34,927 jobsHall County34,927Buffalo County: 27,014 jobsBuffalo County27,014Madison County: 21,668 jobsMadison County21,668Platte County: 18,839 jobsPlatte County18,839Dodge County: 17,387 jobsDodge County17,387Scotts Bluff County: 16,726 jobsScotts Bluff County16,726Adams County: 15,449 jobsAdams County15,449Lincoln County: 14,779 jobsLincoln County14,779Dakota County: 12,703 jobsDakota County12,703Dawson County: 11,419 jobsDawson County11,419Gage County: 9,094 jobsGage County9,094Washington County: 7,867 jobsWashington County7,867York County: 7,809 jobsYork County7,809Saline County: 7,167 jobsSaline County7,167Seward County: 6,253 jobsSeward County6,253Otoe County: 6,119 jobsOtoe County6,119Cass County: 5,764 jobsCass County5,764Saunders County: 5,339 jobsSaunders County5,339Colfax County: 5,187 jobsColfax County5,187Cheyenne County: 5,068 jobsCheyenne County5,068Red Willow County: 5,058 jobsRed Willow County5,058Phelps County: 4,750 jobsPhelps County4,750Custer County: 4,569 jobsCuster County4,569Holt County: 4,518 jobsHolt County4,518Wayne County: 4,170 jobsWayne County4,170Box Butte County: 3,816 jobsBox Butte County3,816Cuming County: 3,709 jobsCuming County3,709Hamilton County: 3,642 jobsHamilton County3,642Keith County: 3,341 jobsKeith County3,341Dawes County: 3,331 jobsDawes County3,331Jefferson County: 3,323 jobsJefferson County3,323Nemaha County: 3,076 jobsNemaha County3,076Thurston County: 2,990 jobsThurston County2,990Knox County: 2,949 jobsKnox County2,949Cedar County: 2,617 jobsCedar County2,617Butler County: 2,563 jobsButler County2,563Richardson County: 2,469 jobsRichardson County2,469
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

RankCounties2017
jobs
Change on 2016
1Douglas County338,872+0.6%
2Lancaster County168,467-0%
3Sarpy County70,382+1.8%
4Hall County34,927+0.5%
5Buffalo County27,014-0.2%
6Madison County21,668-0%
7Platte County18,839+2.2%
8Dodge County17,387+1.7%
9Scotts Bluff County16,726-2.8%
10Adams County15,449-0.4%
11Lincoln County14,779-1%
12Dakota County12,703+1.9%
13Dawson County11,419-0.1%
14Gage County9,094-1.4%
15Washington County7,867-2.5%
16York County7,809+0.6%
17Saline County7,167+0.4%
18Seward County6,253+0.2%
19Otoe County6,119-2.6%
20Cass County5,764+2.1%
21Saunders County5,339+0.1%
22Colfax County5,187+0.7%
23Cheyenne County5,068-7.6%
24Red Willow County5,058-2.3%
25Phelps County4,750+0.3%
26Custer County4,569+1.5%
27Holt County4,518-1.7%
28Wayne County4,170+1.2%
29Box Butte County3,816-1.1%
30Cuming County3,709-0.4%
31Hamilton County3,642+3%
32Keith County3,341-1.2%
33Dawes County3,331+0.7%
34Jefferson County3,323-0.6%
35Nemaha County3,076-0.6%
36Thurston County2,990+1.9%
37Knox County2,949-0.6%
38Cedar County2,617-1.5%
39Butler County2,563+0.3%
40Richardson County2,469-1.4%
41Thayer County2,388-1%
42Clay County2,369-2.1%
43Cherry County2,317-3%
44Boone County2,314-2.4%
45Merrick County2,311+2.1%
46Kearney County2,217+1.5%
47Antelope County2,164+1.1%
48Fillmore County2,141-1.6%
49Furnas County2,049-0.5%
50Pierce County1,987-1.2%
51Chase County1,853+1.6%
52Burt County1,827-2.9%
53Valley County1,825+1.4%
54Sheridan County1,754-0.2%
55Dixon County1,729+0.9%
56Howard County1,603-0.3%
57Johnson County1,563-2.1%
58Morrill County1,528+0.1%
59Polk County1,453-0.5%
60Nuckolls County1,444+0.4%
61Kimball County1,392+3%
62Stanton County1,334+3.8%
63Brown County1,231+2.6%
64Perkins County1,139+0.3%
65Nance County1,079+2.5%
66Webster County1,045-2.3%
67Harlan County852+1.4%
68Garfield County819+1%
69Frontier County816+1.1%
70Sherman County791-3.2%
71Pawnee County762-14.9%
72Franklin County739-1.9%
73Hitchcock County651-5.4%
74Greeley County615-0.2%
75Boyd County587-2.2%
76Deuel County580-2%
77Dundy County578+2.3%
78Garden County568+1.6%
79Rock County478+1.5%
80Gosper County373-5.6%
81Hooker County320+6%
82Wheeler County3170%
83Grant County298+6%
84Thomas County259-5.5%
85Hayes County196-2.5%
86Logan County184-1.6%
87Sioux County154-1.9%
88Keya Paha County146-3.3%
89Blaine County127+1.6%
90Loup County122+1.7%
91Banner County112-13.2%
92Arthur County840%
93McPherson County74-5.1%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/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 338,872 jobs in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 74 jobs in 2017.

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