Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (QCEW)

Douglas County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 93 counties in 2023, at 341,353 jobs. McPherson County had the lowest, at 63 jobs. The median was 2,064 jobs and the figure for Nebraska was 1,008,194 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest341,353Douglas County
Median2,06493 counties
Nebraska1,008,194History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 15,634 jobsAntelope County: 2,135 jobsArthur County: 83 jobsBanner County: 114 jobsBlaine County: 130 jobsBoone County: 2,430 jobsBox Butte County: 3,617 jobsBoyd County: 544 jobsBrown County: 1,376 jobsBuffalo County: 27,813 jobsBurt County: 1,828 jobsButler County: 2,605 jobsCass County: 6,048 jobsCedar County: 2,736 jobsChase County: 1,792 jobsCherry County: 2,230 jobsCheyenne County: 3,814 jobsClay County: 2,064 jobsColfax County: 5,180 jobsCuming County: 3,780 jobsCuster County: 4,529 jobsDakota County: 13,553 jobsDawes County: 3,109 jobsDawson County: 11,797 jobsDeuel County: 531 jobsDixon County: 1,910 jobsDodge County: 18,651 jobsDouglas County: 341,353 jobsDundy County: 584 jobsFillmore County: 2,332 jobsFranklin County: 783 jobsFrontier County: 807 jobsFurnas County: 1,773 jobsGage County: 8,606 jobsGarden County: 510 jobsGarfield County: 772 jobsGosper County: 481 jobsGrant County: 283 jobsGreeley County: 615 jobsHall County: 35,612 jobsHamilton County: 3,800 jobsHarlan County: 827 jobsHayes County: 180 jobsHitchcock County: 665 jobsHolt County: 4,316 jobsHooker County: 281 jobsHoward County: 1,557 jobsJefferson County: 3,370 jobsJohnson County: 1,384 jobsKearney County: 2,035 jobsKeith County: 3,299 jobsKeya Paha County: 130 jobsKimball County: 1,396 jobsKnox County: 2,846 jobsLancaster County: 173,373 jobsLincoln County: 14,609 jobsLogan County: 165 jobsLoup County: 105 jobsMcPherson County: 63 jobsMadison County: 22,134 jobsMerrick County: 2,399 jobsMorrill County: 1,539 jobsNance County: 936 jobsNemaha County: 2,948 jobsNuckolls County: 1,574 jobsOtoe County: 6,122 jobsPawnee County: 751 jobsPerkins County: 1,120 jobsPhelps County: 4,903 jobsPierce County: 1,986 jobsPlatte County: 19,858 jobsPolk County: 1,445 jobsRed Willow County: 5,035 jobsRichardson County: 2,321 jobsRock County: 465 jobsSaline County: 6,636 jobsSarpy County: 78,868 jobsSaunders County: 5,795 jobsScotts Bluff County: 16,008 jobsSeward County: 6,035 jobsSheridan County: 1,746 jobsSherman County: 723 jobsSioux County: 186 jobsStanton County: 1,259 jobsThayer County: 2,183 jobsThomas County: 242 jobsThurston County: 3,301 jobsValley County: 1,760 jobsWashington County: 8,164 jobsWayne County: 4,197 jobsWebster County: 1,042 jobsWheeler County: 279 jobsYork County: 7,560 jobs
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 7,000
  • 7,000 and over
jobs, 2023. 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, 2023

Douglas County: 341,353 jobsDouglas County341,353Lancaster County: 173,373 jobsLancaster County173,373Sarpy County: 78,868 jobsSarpy County78,868Hall County: 35,612 jobsHall County35,612Buffalo County: 27,813 jobsBuffalo County27,813Madison County: 22,134 jobsMadison County22,134Platte County: 19,858 jobsPlatte County19,858Dodge County: 18,651 jobsDodge County18,651Scotts Bluff County: 16,008 jobsScotts Bluff County16,008Adams County: 15,634 jobsAdams County15,634Lincoln County: 14,609 jobsLincoln County14,609Dakota County: 13,553 jobsDakota County13,553Dawson County: 11,797 jobsDawson County11,797Gage County: 8,606 jobsGage County8,606Washington County: 8,164 jobsWashington County8,164York County: 7,560 jobsYork County7,560Saline County: 6,636 jobsSaline County6,636Otoe County: 6,122 jobsOtoe County6,122Cass County: 6,048 jobsCass County6,048Seward County: 6,035 jobsSeward County6,035Saunders County: 5,795 jobsSaunders County5,795Colfax County: 5,180 jobsColfax County5,180Red Willow County: 5,035 jobsRed Willow County5,035Phelps County: 4,903 jobsPhelps County4,903Custer County: 4,529 jobsCuster County4,529Holt County: 4,316 jobsHolt County4,316Wayne County: 4,197 jobsWayne County4,197Cheyenne County: 3,814 jobsCheyenne County3,814Hamilton County: 3,800 jobsHamilton County3,800Cuming County: 3,780 jobsCuming County3,780Box Butte County: 3,617 jobsBox Butte County3,617Jefferson County: 3,370 jobsJefferson County3,370Thurston County: 3,301 jobsThurston County3,301Keith County: 3,299 jobsKeith County3,299Dawes County: 3,109 jobsDawes County3,109Nemaha County: 2,948 jobsNemaha County2,948Knox County: 2,846 jobsKnox County2,846Cedar County: 2,736 jobsCedar County2,736Butler County: 2,605 jobsButler County2,605Boone County: 2,430 jobsBoone County2,430Douglas County: 341,353 jobsDouglas County341,353Lancaster County: 173,373 jobsLancaster County173,373Sarpy County: 78,868 jobsSarpy County78,868Hall County: 35,612 jobsHall County35,612Buffalo County: 27,813 jobsBuffalo County27,813Madison County: 22,134 jobsMadison County22,134Platte County: 19,858 jobsPlatte County19,858Dodge County: 18,651 jobsDodge County18,651Scotts Bluff County: 16,008 jobsScotts Bluff County16,008Adams County: 15,634 jobsAdams County15,634Lincoln County: 14,609 jobsLincoln County14,609Dakota County: 13,553 jobsDakota County13,553Dawson County: 11,797 jobsDawson County11,797Gage County: 8,606 jobsGage County8,606Washington County: 8,164 jobsWashington County8,164York County: 7,560 jobsYork County7,560Saline County: 6,636 jobsSaline County6,636Otoe County: 6,122 jobsOtoe County6,122Cass County: 6,048 jobsCass County6,048Seward County: 6,035 jobsSeward County6,035Saunders County: 5,795 jobsSaunders County5,795Colfax County: 5,180 jobsColfax County5,180Red Willow County: 5,035 jobsRed Willow County5,035Phelps County: 4,903 jobsPhelps County4,903Custer County: 4,529 jobsCuster County4,529Holt County: 4,316 jobsHolt County4,316Wayne County: 4,197 jobsWayne County4,197Cheyenne County: 3,814 jobsCheyenne County3,814Hamilton County: 3,800 jobsHamilton County3,800Cuming County: 3,780 jobsCuming County3,780Box Butte County: 3,617 jobsBox Butte County3,617Jefferson County: 3,370 jobsJefferson County3,370Thurston County: 3,301 jobsThurston County3,301Keith County: 3,299 jobsKeith County3,299Dawes County: 3,109 jobsDawes County3,109Nemaha County: 2,948 jobsNemaha County2,948Knox County: 2,846 jobsKnox County2,846Cedar County: 2,736 jobsCedar County2,736Butler County: 2,605 jobsButler County2,605Boone County: 2,430 jobsBoone County2,430
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

RankCounties2023
jobs
Change on 2022
1Douglas County341,353+1.2%
2Lancaster County173,373+2.2%
3Sarpy County78,868+7.1%
4Hall County35,612+2.4%
5Buffalo County27,813+2.9%
6Madison County22,134+2%
7Platte County19,858+1.2%
8Dodge County18,651+1.6%
9Scotts Bluff County16,008+1.5%
10Adams County15,634+1.3%
11Lincoln County14,609+1.6%
12Dakota County13,553+2.8%
13Dawson County11,797+0.7%
14Gage County8,606+1.6%
15Washington County8,164+5.7%
16York County7,560+1.3%
17Saline County6,636+0.9%
18Otoe County6,122-1.8%
19Cass County6,048+5.6%
20Seward County6,035+3.5%
21Saunders County5,795+3%
22Colfax County5,180+5.3%
23Red Willow County5,035+1.3%
24Phelps County4,903+4.9%
25Custer County4,529+1.6%
26Holt County4,316+3.7%
27Wayne County4,197+1.5%
28Cheyenne County3,814-1.5%
29Hamilton County3,800+3.7%
30Cuming County3,780+1.2%
31Box Butte County3,617+1.3%
32Jefferson County3,370+1.8%
33Thurston County3,301+4.5%
34Keith County3,299+0.5%
35Dawes County3,109+1.1%
36Nemaha County2,948+0.4%
37Knox County2,846-0.2%
38Cedar County2,736+2.4%
39Butler County2,605+0.3%
40Boone County2,430+2%
41Merrick County2,399+7.1%
42Fillmore County2,332+2.6%
43Richardson County2,321-1.6%
44Cherry County2,230+0.7%
45Thayer County2,183+0.3%
46Antelope County2,135-3%
47Clay County2,064+0.5%
48Kearney County2,035+0.5%
49Pierce County1,986+1.7%
50Dixon County1,910+4%
51Burt County1,828+2.7%
52Chase County1,792-0.2%
53Furnas County1,773-1.9%
54Valley County1,760+0.5%
55Sheridan County1,746+2.2%
56Nuckolls County1,574+1.9%
57Howard County1,557-5.4%
58Morrill County1,539+2.3%
59Polk County1,445+1.2%
60Kimball County1,396+1.7%
61Johnson County1,384-0.2%
62Brown County1,376-0.2%
63Stanton County1,259-5.8%
64Perkins County1,120-1.9%
65Webster County1,042+1.8%
66Nance County936+2.3%
67Harlan County827-3.8%
68Frontier County807+3.1%
69Franklin County783-1%
70Garfield County772+0.3%
71Pawnee County751+2.9%
72Sherman County723+2.6%
73Hitchcock County665-2.8%
74Greeley County615-1.9%
75Dundy County584+3.4%
76Boyd County544+0.7%
77Deuel County531-7.5%
78Garden County510+0.4%
79Gosper County481-3.4%
80Rock County465-1.3%
81Grant County283+3.3%
82Hooker County281-15.6%
83Wheeler County279-2.4%
84Thomas County242-10.7%
85Sioux County186+2.2%
86Hayes County180+0.6%
87Logan County165-16.7%
88Blaine County130+7.4%
88Keya Paha County130+8.3%
90Banner County114+1.8%
91Loup County105-13.2%
92Arthur County83-9.8%
93McPherson County63-3.1%

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/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (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/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (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/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (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/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2023. 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/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 employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Nebraska by covered employment (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/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/nebraska-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 341,353 jobs in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

McPherson County, with 63 jobs 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 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