Counties With the Highest Unemployment in Nebraska

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Counties with the highest unemployment in Nebraska

While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Nebraska using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.

The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Nebraska.

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#50. Pawnee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,461 people (36 unemployed)

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#48. Harlan County (tie)

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,652 people (41 unemployed)

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#48. Sherman County (tie)

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,625 people (41 unemployed)

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#47. Valley County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,009 people (50 unemployed)

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#46. Sheridan County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,662 people (66 unemployed)

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#45. York County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,177 people (183 unemployed)

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#44. Nance County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,908 people (49 unemployed)

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#43. Antelope County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,399 people (88 unemployed)

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#42. Howard County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,511 people (90 unemployed)

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#41. Box Butte County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,137 people (135 unemployed)

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#40. Saunders County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,449 people (293 unemployed)

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#39. Lincoln County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,680 people (464 unemployed)

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#38. Madison County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,980 people (516 unemployed)

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#37. Lancaster County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 182,858 people (4,784 unemployed)

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#36. Greeley County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,153 people (31 unemployed)

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#35. Frontier County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,464 people (40 unemployed)

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#34. Nuckolls County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,434 people (66 unemployed)

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#33. Richardson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,944 people (106 unemployed)

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#32. Otoe County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,292 people (226 unemployed)

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#31. Adams County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,924 people (462 unemployed)

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#30. Gosper County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,097 people (31 unemployed)

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#29. Nemaha County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,575 people (99 unemployed)

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#28. Washington County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,442 people (316 unemployed)

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#27. Burt County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,471 people (102 unemployed)

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#26. Cheyenne County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,080 people (120 unemployed)

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#25. Keith County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,426 people (128 unemployed)

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#24. Dodge County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,808 people (597 unemployed)

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#23. Sarpy County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 99,961 people (2,938 unemployed)

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#22. Brown County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,329 people (40 unemployed)

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#21. Dixon County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,937 people (88 unemployed)

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#20. Gage County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,802 people (329 unemployed)

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#19. Dawson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,371 people (415 unemployed)

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#18. Hall County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,594 people (1,057 unemployed)

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#17. Boyd County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 989 people (32 unemployed)

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#16. Cass County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,646 people (435 unemployed)

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#15. Knox County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,438 people (147 unemployed)

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#14. Scotts Bluff County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,733 people (588 unemployed)

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#13. Deuel County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 944 people (32 unemployed)

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#12. Hitchcock County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,267 people (43 unemployed)

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#11. Webster County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,639 people (56 unemployed)

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#10. Douglas County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 306,754 people (10,311 unemployed)

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#9. Loup County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 370 people (13 unemployed)

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#8. Clay County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,995 people (106 unemployed)

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#7. Saline County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,143 people (248 unemployed)

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#6. Banner County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 376 people (14 unemployed)

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#5. Dakota County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,858 people (406 unemployed)

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#4. Hooker County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 320 people (13 unemployed)

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#3. Thomas County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 412 people (18 unemployed)

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#2. Johnson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,958 people (86 unemployed)

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#1. Blaine County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 237 people (11 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.