Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW)

Douglas County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 93 counties in 2018, at 339,604 jobs. McPherson County had the lowest, at 69 jobs. The median was 2,201 jobs and the figure for Nebraska was 978,066 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest339,604Douglas County
Median2,20193 counties
Nebraska978,066History

Map of counties, 2018

Adams County: 15,339 jobsAntelope County: 2,201 jobsArthur County: 84 jobsBanner County: 110 jobsBlaine County: 129 jobsBoone County: 2,373 jobsBox Butte County: 3,806 jobsBoyd County: 600 jobsBrown County: 1,238 jobsBuffalo County: 27,375 jobsBurt County: 1,800 jobsButler County: 2,538 jobsCass County: 5,814 jobsCedar County: 2,614 jobsChase County: 1,846 jobsCherry County: 2,293 jobsCheyenne County: 4,582 jobsClay County: 2,341 jobsColfax County: 5,110 jobsCuming County: 3,698 jobsCuster County: 4,579 jobsDakota County: 12,761 jobsDawes County: 3,161 jobsDawson County: 11,418 jobsDeuel County: 525 jobsDixon County: 1,702 jobsDodge County: 17,314 jobsDouglas County: 339,604 jobsDundy County: 560 jobsFillmore County: 2,187 jobsFranklin County: 737 jobsFrontier County: 798 jobsFurnas County: 1,984 jobsGage County: 9,031 jobsGarden County: 562 jobsGarfield County: 834 jobsGosper County: 386 jobsGrant County: 294 jobsGreeley County: 617 jobsHall County: 34,880 jobsHamilton County: 3,637 jobsHarlan County: 859 jobsHayes County: 201 jobsHitchcock County: 650 jobsHolt County: 4,487 jobsHooker County: 322 jobsHoward County: 1,610 jobsJefferson County: 3,312 jobsJohnson County: 1,552 jobsKearney County: 2,209 jobsKeith County: 3,279 jobsKeya Paha County: 143 jobsKimball County: 1,441 jobsKnox County: 2,923 jobsLancaster County: 171,353 jobsLincoln County: 14,529 jobsLogan County: 193 jobsLoup County: 121 jobsMcPherson County: 69 jobsMadison County: 21,733 jobsMerrick County: 2,322 jobsMorrill County: 1,535 jobsNance County: 1,063 jobsNemaha County: 3,063 jobsNuckolls County: 1,474 jobsOtoe County: 6,076 jobsPawnee County: 741 jobsPerkins County: 1,145 jobsPhelps County: 4,719 jobsPierce County: 1,963 jobsPlatte County: 19,019 jobsPolk County: 1,473 jobsRed Willow County: 5,026 jobsRichardson County: 2,482 jobsRock County: 486 jobsSaline County: 7,163 jobsSarpy County: 71,440 jobsSaunders County: 5,412 jobsScotts Bluff County: 16,623 jobsSeward County: 6,164 jobsSheridan County: 1,744 jobsSherman County: 812 jobsSioux County: 153 jobsStanton County: 1,332 jobsThayer County: 2,399 jobsThomas County: 264 jobsThurston County: 2,932 jobsValley County: 1,786 jobsWashington County: 7,838 jobsWayne County: 4,185 jobsWebster County: 1,043 jobsWheeler County: 306 jobsYork County: 7,759 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 and over
jobs, 2018. 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, 2018

Douglas County: 339,604 jobsDouglas County339,604Lancaster County: 171,353 jobsLancaster County171,353Sarpy County: 71,440 jobsSarpy County71,440Hall County: 34,880 jobsHall County34,880Buffalo County: 27,375 jobsBuffalo County27,375Madison County: 21,733 jobsMadison County21,733Platte County: 19,019 jobsPlatte County19,019Dodge County: 17,314 jobsDodge County17,314Scotts Bluff County: 16,623 jobsScotts Bluff County16,623Adams County: 15,339 jobsAdams County15,339Lincoln County: 14,529 jobsLincoln County14,529Dakota County: 12,761 jobsDakota County12,761Dawson County: 11,418 jobsDawson County11,418Gage County: 9,031 jobsGage County9,031Washington County: 7,838 jobsWashington County7,838York County: 7,759 jobsYork County7,759Saline County: 7,163 jobsSaline County7,163Seward County: 6,164 jobsSeward County6,164Otoe County: 6,076 jobsOtoe County6,076Cass County: 5,814 jobsCass County5,814Saunders County: 5,412 jobsSaunders County5,412Colfax County: 5,110 jobsColfax County5,110Red Willow County: 5,026 jobsRed Willow County5,026Phelps County: 4,719 jobsPhelps County4,719Cheyenne County: 4,582 jobsCheyenne County4,582Custer County: 4,579 jobsCuster County4,579Holt County: 4,487 jobsHolt County4,487Wayne County: 4,185 jobsWayne County4,185Box Butte County: 3,806 jobsBox Butte County3,806Cuming County: 3,698 jobsCuming County3,698Hamilton County: 3,637 jobsHamilton County3,637Jefferson County: 3,312 jobsJefferson County3,312Keith County: 3,279 jobsKeith County3,279Dawes County: 3,161 jobsDawes County3,161Nemaha County: 3,063 jobsNemaha County3,063Thurston County: 2,932 jobsThurston County2,932Knox County: 2,923 jobsKnox County2,923Cedar County: 2,614 jobsCedar County2,614Butler County: 2,538 jobsButler County2,538Richardson County: 2,482 jobsRichardson County2,482Douglas County: 339,604 jobsDouglas County339,604Lancaster County: 171,353 jobsLancaster County171,353Sarpy County: 71,440 jobsSarpy County71,440Hall County: 34,880 jobsHall County34,880Buffalo County: 27,375 jobsBuffalo County27,375Madison County: 21,733 jobsMadison County21,733Platte County: 19,019 jobsPlatte County19,019Dodge County: 17,314 jobsDodge County17,314Scotts Bluff County: 16,623 jobsScotts Bluff County16,623Adams County: 15,339 jobsAdams County15,339Lincoln County: 14,529 jobsLincoln County14,529Dakota County: 12,761 jobsDakota County12,761Dawson County: 11,418 jobsDawson County11,418Gage County: 9,031 jobsGage County9,031Washington County: 7,838 jobsWashington County7,838York County: 7,759 jobsYork County7,759Saline County: 7,163 jobsSaline County7,163Seward County: 6,164 jobsSeward County6,164Otoe County: 6,076 jobsOtoe County6,076Cass County: 5,814 jobsCass County5,814Saunders County: 5,412 jobsSaunders County5,412Colfax County: 5,110 jobsColfax County5,110Red Willow County: 5,026 jobsRed Willow County5,026Phelps County: 4,719 jobsPhelps County4,719Cheyenne County: 4,582 jobsCheyenne County4,582Custer County: 4,579 jobsCuster County4,579Holt County: 4,487 jobsHolt County4,487Wayne County: 4,185 jobsWayne County4,185Box Butte County: 3,806 jobsBox Butte County3,806Cuming County: 3,698 jobsCuming County3,698Hamilton County: 3,637 jobsHamilton County3,637Jefferson County: 3,312 jobsJefferson County3,312Keith County: 3,279 jobsKeith County3,279Dawes County: 3,161 jobsDawes County3,161Nemaha County: 3,063 jobsNemaha County3,063Thurston County: 2,932 jobsThurston County2,932Knox County: 2,923 jobsKnox County2,923Cedar County: 2,614 jobsCedar County2,614Butler County: 2,538 jobsButler County2,538Richardson County: 2,482 jobsRichardson County2,482
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

RankCounties2018
jobs
Change on 2017
1Douglas County339,604+0.2%
2Lancaster County171,353+1.7%
3Sarpy County71,440+1.5%
4Hall County34,880-0.1%
5Buffalo County27,375+1.3%
6Madison County21,733+0.3%
7Platte County19,019+1%
8Dodge County17,314-0.4%
9Scotts Bluff County16,623-0.6%
10Adams County15,339-0.7%
11Lincoln County14,529-1.7%
12Dakota County12,761+0.5%
13Dawson County11,418-0%
14Gage County9,031-0.7%
15Washington County7,838-0.4%
16York County7,759-0.6%
17Saline County7,163-0.1%
18Seward County6,164-1.4%
19Otoe County6,076-0.7%
20Cass County5,814+0.9%
21Saunders County5,412+1.4%
22Colfax County5,110-1.5%
23Red Willow County5,026-0.6%
24Phelps County4,719-0.7%
25Cheyenne County4,582-9.6%
26Custer County4,579+0.2%
27Holt County4,487-0.7%
28Wayne County4,185+0.4%
29Box Butte County3,806-0.3%
30Cuming County3,698-0.3%
31Hamilton County3,637-0.1%
32Jefferson County3,312-0.3%
33Keith County3,279-1.9%
34Dawes County3,161-5.1%
35Nemaha County3,063-0.4%
36Thurston County2,932-1.9%
37Knox County2,923-0.9%
38Cedar County2,614-0.1%
39Butler County2,538-1%
40Richardson County2,482+0.5%
41Thayer County2,399+0.5%
42Boone County2,373+2.5%
43Clay County2,341-1.2%
44Merrick County2,322+0.5%
45Cherry County2,293-1%
46Kearney County2,209-0.4%
47Antelope County2,201+1.7%
48Fillmore County2,187+2.1%
49Furnas County1,984-3.2%
50Pierce County1,963-1.2%
51Chase County1,846-0.4%
52Burt County1,800-1.5%
53Valley County1,786-2.1%
54Sheridan County1,744-0.6%
55Dixon County1,702-1.6%
56Howard County1,610+0.4%
57Johnson County1,552-0.7%
58Morrill County1,535+0.5%
59Nuckolls County1,474+2.1%
60Polk County1,473+1.4%
61Kimball County1,441+3.5%
62Stanton County1,332-0.1%
63Brown County1,238+0.6%
64Perkins County1,145+0.5%
65Nance County1,063-1.5%
66Webster County1,043-0.2%
67Harlan County859+0.8%
68Garfield County834+1.8%
69Sherman County812+2.7%
70Frontier County798-2.2%
71Pawnee County741-2.8%
72Franklin County737-0.3%
73Hitchcock County650-0.2%
74Greeley County617+0.3%
75Boyd County600+2.2%
76Garden County562-1.1%
77Dundy County560-3.1%
78Deuel County525-9.5%
79Rock County486+1.7%
80Gosper County386+3.5%
81Hooker County322+0.6%
82Wheeler County306-3.5%
83Grant County294-1.3%
84Thomas County264+1.9%
85Hayes County201+2.6%
86Logan County193+4.9%
87Sioux County153-0.6%
88Keya Paha County143-2.1%
89Blaine County129+1.6%
90Loup County121-0.8%
91Banner County110-1.8%
92Arthur County840%
93McPherson County69-6.8%

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/2018/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), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/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), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2018. 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), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2018.

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), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_nebraska_by_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/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), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/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 339,604 jobs in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 69 jobs in 2018.

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