By Scout Nelson
Nebraska remains one of the top U.S. states with a high percentage of counties economically reliant on farming. According to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), 56 counties—or 60% of Nebraska’s total—are classified as high farming-concentration counties in the agency’s 2025 update. Only North Dakota and South Dakota rank higher at 62%.
The ERS defines a high farming-concentration county as one where at least 20% of total labor and proprietor earnings, or 17% of the total number of jobs, come from farming. These designations are part of a county-level coding system created by the ERS to better understand which economic sectors—farming, mining, manufacturing, recreation, or government—most impact rural counties.
Released earlier this April, the 2025 update shows that Nebraska’s rural economy remains strongly rooted in agriculture. In addition to farming, 11 counties were found to have high concentrations in manufacturing, with some overlapping both sectors.
Interestingly, well-known ag counties like Dawson and Platte are not listed as farming concentrated. Instead, manufacturing is the dominant economic sector there. Meanwhile, Lancaster County, home to the State Capitol, is a government-concentrated county. Other counties in this same category include Dawes, Johnson, Blaine, and Wayne.
Nebraska also has three high recreation-concentrated counties and 24 non-specialized counties, meaning no single economic sector dominates.
“Clearly Nebraska is not ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to economic sectors important to counties,” said a local official. “Farming is the prevalent sector in most counties. But other sectors play an important economic role too.”
This economic diversity not only supports employment but also strengthens the state’s overall resilience against industry-specific downturns.
Photo Credit:nebraska-farm-bureau
Categories: Nebraska, General