Nebraska

The Impact Project synthesizes publicly available data about the impacts of government change.

State Dashboards provide a snapshot of impacts to states, including the size of the federal workforce, federal dollars, a profile of probationary workers, and impacts to federal programs.

Dashboards will change as the data does, and you may find areas that need updating. Please reach out via [email protected] if you would like to support our work, share data, or provide feedback.

Click here to download state data.

Federal Workforce in Nebraska

Total Workforce

1,040,748

Federal Workforce

10,325

Probationary Federal Workforce

5,511

Sources: OPM.gov (Mar. '24); Census.gov (Dec '24); BLS.gov (Feb. '24)

Federal Funding & State Revenue

Historically, federal dollars have accounted for about a quarter to a third of state revenue. The COVID-19 Pandemic increased those numbers. Approximately 30.34% of the State's 2019 budget came from federal funding, and 39.00% of 2022's budget.

Sources: Pew Trusts; Census.gov; NBER.gov

Summary of State Dots

Action Nebraska Stories
Defense5
Economy & Employment4
Education3
Emergency Services, Public Safety & Law Enforcement1
Energy4
Food & Agriculture9
Humanities & the Arts1
Infrastructure2
International Development3
Natural Resources, Environment & Public Lands8
Overarching 5
Public Health & Healthcare29
Research & Academic Research6
Social Services4
Total 84

Last Updated: 4/23/2025

DOGE Data Summary

According to DOGE data, 2 contracts, 28 grants and 4 leases have been terminated in Nebraska.

Top Federal Occupations in Nebraska

This table provides a snapshot of federal occupations in this state. Click here for descriptions of these occupations.

Probationary employees include those employed by a federal agency for a year or less by March, 2024. For some agencies, the probationary period last longer (2-3yrs). In most cases, the probationary period restarts when a worker is promoted.

Occupation Total Employees Probationary Employees
NURSE783107
MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM70532
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT57040
MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYSIS49322
VETERANS CLAIMS EXAMINING33568
MISCELLANEOUS CLERK AND ASSISTANT26945
MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANCE25155
CIVIL ENGINEERING23517
MEDICAL OFFICER22822
CONTRACTING20215

Sources: OPM.gov (2024)

Top Federal Employers in State

State Agency Non-probationary Probationary Total
NEDepartment Of Veterans Affairs28845343418
NEDepartment Of The Air Force21282152343
NEDepartment Of The Army12441551399
NEDepartment Of Agriculture12271411368
NEDepartment Of The Interior35018368

Sources: OPM.gov

Impacted Funding for Food Programs

This summarizes cuts from only a few of the food-related programs impacted by funding changes since January 2025.

The LFS program awards money to states to buy local foods for schools and childcare institutions, and the LFPA program provides funding for state, tribal and territorial governments to buy food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destinations. Both programs have been cancelled.

State, Tribe, or Territory Local Food for Schools (FY25) Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement (FY25)
Nebraska$6,323,227$1,674,323

Top 5 Counties with Federal Workers

County Federal Employees
Douglas County, Nebraska6281
Lancaster County, Nebraska3335
Sarpy County, Nebraska2908
Hall County, Nebraska633
Lincoln County, Nebraska254

Sources: BLS.gov

Potentially Impacted Federal Programs

Nebraska benefits from several federally supported social programs that address the diverse needs of its residents, focusing on areas such as healthcare, nutrition, housing, early childhood education, and economic development. Examples include:

Due to federal budget cuts in 2025, some of these programs have already been impacted, and others may be impacted in the future.

State Map

Federal Cuts Tracker
Rural Counties
  •   Rural Counties
Indigenous Lands
  •   Indigenous Lands
Majority Non-White Areas
  •   Majority Non-White
Poverty Areas
  •   Poverty Rate >= 20%
Number of Federal Workers by Congressional District
  •  0 - 4,000
  •  4,000 - 7,000
  •  7,000 - 10,000
  •  10,000 - 15,000
  •  15,000 - 25,000
  •  25,000 - 35,000
  •  35,000 - 50,000
  •  >50,000
Number of Federal Workers by County
  •  0 - 50
  •  50 - 100
  •  100 - 250
  •  250 - 500
  •  500 - 1,000
  •  1,000 - 5,000
  •  5,000 - 10,000
  •  >10,000
Circle Outlines
  •   Statewide Impact
  •   Location-Specific
future 1

Future Analysis

Check back for deeper dives into this data, including consideration of these questions:

  • How do these changes impact local and state economies?
  • How are local and state governments, NGOs, and businesses responding to federal changes? What gaps are they filling, and what gaps remain?
  • How is federal government change evolving over time?

Download Full Data Set

Access a comprehensive Excel file containing all the data shown on this page. This downloadable resource is ideal for further analysis, reporting, or presentations.

quotes

"It's the largest research center of its kind in the world. We just can't emphasize enough how important the work they do there is for the beef cattle industry. They've been revolutionary on so many things. It certainly is a concern for us to hear statements about people being let go." - Anonymous