Nebraska’s February Unemployment Rate is 3.1 Percent

At-a-Glance

Nebraska’s Workforce Shows Resilience:

Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for February 2026 is 3.1 percent, seasonally adjusted. The rate is up 0.1 percentage points from the January 2026 unemployment rate of 3.0 and up 0.2 percent over the year.

“Nebraska’s unemployment rate continues to trend well below the national average,” said Commissioner of Labor Katie Thurber. “Our workforce continues to demonstrate resilience.”

The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February 2026 is 4.4 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the January 2026 unemployment rate and up 0.2 percent from the February 2025 unemployment rate. National unemployment rate rankings are available here.

Total Non-Farm Employment:

Non-farm employment, the number of jobs filled, was 1,040,342 in February, down 3,304 over the month and down 5,043 over the year.  Private industries with the most over-the-month growth were private education and health services (up 784 jobs), leisure and hospitality (up 320 jobs) and mining and construction (up 18 jobs).  The largest over-the-year growth came from mining and construction (up 3,481 jobs), private education and health services (up 3,330 jobs), and other services (up 79 jobs). 

The 2025 benchmark revisions for the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program are now available. The updated data include non‑seasonally adjusted estimates from April 2024 through December 2025 and seasonally adjusted estimates from January 2021 through December 2025. Due to industry classification changes, limited historical revisions extend back to 2023. Nebraska’s total non-farm annual average revisions were minimal in the latest cycle (about -0.1% for 2025). Overall, the changes reflect updated administrative data, reclassification, and improvements in estimation.

Data Release Schedule:

Helpful Links:

• Nebraska Employment Data
• NEworks Labor Market Information
• NDOL Press Releases
• National Rate Rankings

Benchmarking Explained:

Benchmarked unemployment refers to an annual update by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that adjusts previous estimates of jobs and unemployment using confirmed employment records, such as tax filings or reports from employers. BLS programs, including Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) are included in these programs. Figures are revised monthly as new information becomes available, and annual BLS benchmarking may also lead to revisions. This ensures the numbers reflect real job-market conditions by comparing earlier estimates to recent verified data. For more on how benchmarking works click the link:  CES monthly revisions and annual benchmarking

Technical Notes:

The labor force includes employed individuals and those actively seeking work, as determined by a Census Bureau survey. People may be counted as unemployed regardless of whether they claim unemployment benefits, depending on their survey responses. Those not working or seeking employment are excluded from the labor force and the unemployment rate calculation.