Counties with the highest unemployment in Nebraska

The first jobs report fully under the new Trump administration showed a softening job market, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.1% in February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released March 7.

Job growth increased but fell below expectations, one of several possible fissures appearing in the once rock-solid labor market. Businesses are pulling back on hiring as the economic forecast and policy outlook grow murkier due to volatile trade policies and large cuts to the federal workforce.

Federal government employment fell by 10,000 in February, pushing up total cuts to the federal workforce. In the first two months of 2025, 62,530 federal workers were let go. However, the most recent cuts, including the Department of Education's workforce getting slashed by nearly half, have not yet appeared in official jobs data. Retail employment also fell by 6,000.

The broader unemployment index, known as the U-6, which also includes laborers working part-time because they can't find full-time work, and those who want to work but have given up searching, rose to 8%, its highest since October 2021.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Nebraska, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in January 2025, 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.

Key takeaways: Jobs report shows softening labor market

February's job growth of 151,000 fell below economists' expected gains of 160,000, showing the labor market is cooling faster than predicted. Experts say many companies weighing policy changes and economic uncertainty are deciding it's safer to hold off on hiring decisions for now.

"If you were a company and you were saying, 'I'm looking to expand, or I'm looking to hire,' you would have investors in those companies saying, 'Are you crazy?'" Ron Hetrick, senior labor economist at Lightcast, told Marketplace.

Consumer spending fell in January for the first time in two years, which may have led to layoffs or hiring slowdowns, Nela Richardson, ADP's chief economist, told NBC News.

The big story: From bold promises to frozen labor market

After an initial market pop following Trump's electoral win, indexes have slumped to below when he took office, and uncertainty about the future of the markets is a common theme. Are threatened tariffs in place, delayed, reversed, or ramped up? Has that federal worker been fired or given their job back? Are those federal dollars slashed or reinstated? It's a question mark that changes daily.

Research shows that uncertainty invites lower investment, slows employment, and increases financial market volatility. The word "uncertain" showed up 47 times in the March edition of the Beige Book, the Federal Reserve's snapshot of reports from across the nation, compared to 17 times in the previous report from January.

The new administration's blitz of executive orders and trade policy waffling have cast a dense fog over the short-term economic outlook. One thing that is known? Uncertainty isn't good for business planning, job creation, or hiring.

In a March 12 interview with Semafor, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that average consumers likely don't change "what they're going to do because they read about tariffs," but "companies might."

"Uncertainty is not a good thing," Dimon added.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Nebraska.

44. Cheyenne County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,823 people (139 unemployed)

44. Antelope County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,225 people (95 unemployed)

44. Furnas County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,310 people (66 unemployed)

44. Lincoln County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,622 people (503 unemployed)

44. Washington County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,472 people (327 unemployed)

44. Pawnee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,205 people (35 unemployed)

44. Otoe County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,466 people (243 unemployed)

39. Colfax County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,537 people (166 unemployed)

39. Richardson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,817 people (115 unemployed)

39. Dawes County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,128 people (122 unemployed)

39. Lancaster County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 185,019 people (5,545 unemployed)

39. Stanton County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,145 people (93 unemployed)

34. Logan County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 356 people (11 unemployed)

34. Banner County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 351 people (11 unemployed)

34. Sherman County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,542 people (48 unemployed)

34. Webster County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,918 people (60 unemployed)

34. Sarpy County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 108,860 people (3,372 unemployed)

28. Dawson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,855 people (446 unemployed)

28. Dodge County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,833 people (642 unemployed)

28. Adams County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,075 people (543 unemployed)

28. Madison County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,000 people (610 unemployed)

28. Garfield County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 908 people (29 unemployed)

28. Hitchcock County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,306 people (42 unemployed)

24. Gage County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,325 people (387 unemployed)

24. Morrill County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,238 people (75 unemployed)

24. Box Butte County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,128 people (172 unemployed)

24. Jefferson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,421 people (115 unemployed)

20. Nemaha County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,296 people (117 unemployed)

20. Grant County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 312 people (11 unemployed)

20. Greeley County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 940 people (33 unemployed)

20. Cass County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,824 people (512 unemployed)

17. Sioux County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 613 people (22 unemployed)

17. Douglas County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 318,480 people (11,479 unemployed)

17. Garden County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 816 people (29 unemployed)

14. Clay County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,072 people (113 unemployed)

14. Frontier County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,242 people (46 unemployed)

14. Knox County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,273 people (159 unemployed)

12. Scotts Bluff County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,077 people (647 unemployed)

12. McPherson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 240 people (9 unemployed)

9. Deuel County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 898 people (35 unemployed)

9. Burt County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,211 people (126 unemployed)

9. Hall County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,922 people (1,354 unemployed)

7. Saline County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,255 people (287 unemployed)

7. Boyd County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 920 people (37 unemployed)

5. Thomas County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 361 people (15 unemployed)

5. Loup County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 310 people (13 unemployed)

4. Keya Paha County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +2.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 374 people (16 unemployed)

3. Dakota County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,177 people (495 unemployed)

2. Johnson County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,005 people (93 unemployed)

1. Hooker County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
--- 1-month change: +5.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +3.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 267 people (22 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.