The local economy of Nebraska and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data.
Unemployment rate
2.9%
August 2026, 2.9% a year ago
Average weekly pay
$1,274
Q1 2026, 1,008,180 jobs
New homes permitted
10,519
Last 12 months to August 2026
Net people moving in
-1,852
2022 to 2023
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for its history.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Nebraska, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Nebraska is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row.
The unemployment rate in Nebraska was 2.9% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 2.9% a year earlier. 1,064,352 people were employed out of a labor force of 1,095,992. Among its counties, Pierce County had the lowest rate (1.7%) and Dawson County the highest (16.4%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Nebraska was $1,274 in Q1 2026, up 3.7% from a year earlier, across 1,008,180 jobs at 78,898 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 693 new homes in Nebraska in August 2026 (549 single-family and 124 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 7,028, down 3.6% from the same months last year, and 10,519 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Douglas County (4,085), Sarpy County (2,074), Lancaster County (2,046) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 38,810 people moved to Nebraska and 40,662 moved away, a net loss of 1,852 (-1.1 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Iowa, Texas, Colorado, and most people who left went to Iowa, Texas, Colorado.
The weekly survey does not publish a separate price for Nebraska. In its region, Midwest, regular gasoline averaged $4.29 per gallon in the week of September 28, 2026.