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US State economic profile
Nebraska - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for the Cornhusker State
In 2026, the state of Nebraska has a population of 2,035,559, having grown an annualized 0.7% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 20th out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Nebraska's gross state product (GSP) in 2026 reached $150.9b, with growth of 2.2% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Nebraska employed a total of 1,135,089 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 1.2%. The top three sectors by total employment are Finance & Insurance, Manufacturing, Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, while the unemployment rate across the state in 2026 was 3.1%.
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State economic profile
Nebraska Economic Overview
$150.9b
Gross state product
2,035,559
Population
233,044
Businesses
What is Nebraska's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
In 2026, Nebraska's GDP reached $150.9b, representing an increase of 2.2% from 2025. Nebraska's GDP has grown at an annualized rate of 1.4% over the five years to 2026. Moreover, Nebraska's trailing five-year GDP growth ranks it 19th out of all 50 US states.
State GDP, or Gross State Product, is a measurement of a state's output, or the sum of value added from all industries in the state. It is a common indicator used to track the health of a state's economy.
You can track trends in Nebraska's GDP, and compare them to the national average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Nebraska Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Nebraska's state economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers state industry research reports on over 30,000 industries across all 50 states in the US, including 618 industries in Nebraska.
What are Nebraska's Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Nebraska are Meat, Beef & Poultry Processing, Corn, Wheat & Soybean Wholesaling and Natural Gas Distribution, which generated $27.0b, $20.4b and $17.4b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Meat, Beef & Poultry Processing | $27.0b |
| 2. | Corn, Wheat & Soybean Wholesaling | $20.4b |
| 3. | Natural Gas Distribution | $17.4b |
| 4. | Property, Casualty and Direct Insurance | $16.3b |
| 5. | Commercial Banking | $14.8b |
| 6. | Health & Medical Insurance | $14.3b |
| 7. | Soft Drink, Baked Goods & Other Grocery Wholesaling | $13.0b |
| 8. | Life Insurance & Annuities | $11.3b |
| 9. | Frozen Food Wholesaling | $10.7b |
| 10. | Hospitals | $10.5b |
State economic profile
Top Companies in Nebraska
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Nebraska. IBISWorld offers benchmarking data and tools on over 5,000 companies in the US.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Nebraska by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Nebraska are Walmart, CHI Health and Berkshire Hathaway, which employed 13,537, 12,000 and 11,990 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Walmart | 13,537 | 1.2% |
| 2. | CHI Health | 12,000 | 1.1% |
| 3. | Berkshire Hathaway | 11,990 | 1.1% |
| 4. | Nebraska Medicine | 10,253 | 0.9% |
| 5. | Valley Health System | 10,000 | 0.9% |
| 6. | Offutt Air Force Base | 10,000 | 0.9% |
| 7. | Omaha Public Schools | 7,000 | 0.6% |
| 8. | University of Nebraska | 6,000 | 0.5% |
| 9. | Fiserv | 5,000 | 0.4% |
| 10. | Tyson Foods | 788 | 0.1% |
State economic profile
Nebraska Sector Statistics
In Nebraska, certain sectors drive a higher share of state GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Nebraska's GDP by Sector?
The Finance & Insurance, Manufacturing and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing sectors contributed the most to Nebraska's GDP in 2026, representing a combined 38.7% of state GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the state economy, in addition to how the state economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 21,934,240,490 | 5.5% | 7.2% |
| Manufacturing | 19,170,230,880 | 3.2% | 2.4% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 14,109,207,433 | 2.3% | 2.4% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 12,139,740,694 | 3.8% | 4.1% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 9,236,010,092 | 6.9% | 7.3% |
| Wholesale Trade | 8,897,082,102 | 2.4% | 3.2% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 8,127,854,981 | -1.4% | -2.0% |
| Retail Trade | 7,545,508,561 | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| Information | 6,729,063,886 | 7.3% | 6.7% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 6,064,157,302 | -3.7% | -5.8% |
| Utilities | 5,665,651,910 | 15.7% | 17.6% |
| Construction | 5,398,647,188 | -0.7% | -1.2% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 5,108,228,040 | 6.3% | 7.2% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 4,499,589,257 | 6.4% | 7.7% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 3,429,240,343 | 4.6% | 5.1% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2,421,731,155 | -1.7% | -1.7% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 1,062,354,698 | 8.9% | 10.0% |
| Educational Services | 943,656,216 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Mining | 217,696,323 | 4.6% | 4.2% |
What is Nebraska's Employment by Sector?
The Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services sectors contributed the most to employment in Nebraska in 2026, representing a combined 36.8% of state employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the state economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 160,740 | 2.0% | 1.8% |
| Retail Trade | 141,210 | 1.1% | 1.7% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 115,683 | 3.7% | 4.4% |
| Manufacturing | 101,456 | -0.2% | 0.8% |
| Finance & Insurance | 88,490 | 1.5% | 2.1% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 81,971 | 0.2% | 2.5% |
| Construction | 76,843 | 2.1% | 2.2% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 68,877 | 2.2% | 3.3% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 57,287 | 5.5% | 3.6% |
| Educational Services | 56,957 | -0.8% | 0.3% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 48,813 | 0.9% | 2.0% |
| Wholesale Trade | 43,117 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Information | 36,561 | 0.9% | 7.8% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 30,132 | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 20,062 | 1.8% | 2.3% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 3,570 | 2.5% | 2.9% |
| Utilities | 2,083 | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| Mining | 1,237 | -0.1% | 1.5% |
State economic profile
Nebraska Employment Trends
1.1m
Employment
3.1%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Nebraska?
The state of Nebraska employs 1,135,089 people in 2026, which ranks it 36th out of all 50 US states. Employment in Nebraska has grown at an annualized rate of 2.3% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.7%. Major sectors by employment in Nebraska include Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services, which employed 160,740, 141,210 and 115,683 people in 2026, respectively. Nebraska's unemployment rate is 3.1% in 2026, which ranks it 4th out of all 50 US states. Nebraska's unemployment rate has trended upwards at a rate of 3.2% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the US economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Nebraska, and compare them to the US economy, using the chart below.
$203.0k
Per capita disposable income
What is Nebraska's Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Nebraska's DPI in 2026 was $203.0k, compared to the US average of $156.5k, which places it 1st out of all 50 US states.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Nebraska's per capita disposable income, and compare it to the US average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Nebraska Construction & Building Trends
$6,548.3tn
Nonresidential construction
$2.4tn
Residential construction
11,812
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a state’s economy?
In Nebraska, non-residential construction was $6,548.3tn in 2026, which ranks it 36th out of all 50 US states. Residential construction was $2.4tn in 2026, which places Nebraska 40th out of all 50 US states. The number of building permits issued in Nebraska in 2026 was 11,812, representing a 3.9% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a state. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Nebraska, and compare it to trends in the number issued in the United States as a whole, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Nebraska Population Statistics
Which Counties in Nebraska have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Nebraska are Douglas County, Lancaster County and Sarpy County, which had populations of 596,818, 331,838 and 209,181 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | 596.8k | 0.4% | 29.3% |
| Lancaster | 331.8k | 0.5% | 16.3% |
| Sarpy | 209.2k | 1.5% | 10.3% |
| Hall | 62.1k | -0.1% | 3.0% |
| Buffalo | 51.3k | 0.4% | 2.5% |
| Dodge | 37.3k | 0.1% | 1.8% |
| Madison | 35.9k | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| Scotts Bluff | 35.4k | -0.3% | 1.7% |
| Platte | 35.1k | 0.4% | 1.7% |
| Lincoln | 32.4k | -1.0% | 1.6% |
| Adams | 30.7k | -0.2% | 1.5% |
| Cass | 28.2k | 0.9% | 1.4% |
| Saunders | 24.5k | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| Dawson | 24.3k | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Gage | 21.7k | N/A | 1.1% |
| Washington | 21.3k | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| Dakota | 21.3k | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| Seward | 17.8k | 0.2% | 0.9% |
| Otoe | 16.7k | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Saline | 14.6k | N/A | 0.7% |
| York | 14.5k | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| Colfax | 10.7k | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Custer | 10.7k | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Box Butte | 10.7k | -0.1% | 0.5% |
| Red Willow | 10.2k | -0.7% | 0.5% |
State economic profile
Nebraska Demographics
In Nebraska, 36.1% of the population has a Bachelors or higher. The largest ethnic group in Nebraska is White, accounting for 73.6% of the state's population.
Education level in Nebraska
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 36.1 |
| Other | 63.9 |
Race in Nebraska
| Race | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| White | 73.6 |
| Hispanic | 14.5 |
| Black | 5.4 |
| Other | 3.3 |
| Asian | 3.2 |
Nebraska State industry reports
IBISWorld State Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the state level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 618 Nebraska industry reports.
Other states to explore
Compare Nebraska’s economy with other states in the United States.
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