How America Moves

Nebraska

State-to-state migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
90
10% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$223,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+48.7%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,035
national $1,348
Homeownership
67%
national 65%
Unemployment
2.3%
national 3.6%
Household income
$74,985
national $78,538
Median age
37.1 yrs
national 38.7

The cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. The median home is valued at $223,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 49% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,035 a month. Unemployment averaged 2.3% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $74,985. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Nebraska saw a net loss of 1,491 tax-filing households and a net loss of 1,852 individuals. Against a population of about 1,978,379, that is a net outflow of about 0.9 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $245.6M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 3,156 households, came from Iowa; the largest outflow, about 3,172 households, went to Iowa. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 1,861 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$245.6M
nominal dollars
Net households
-1,491
tax returns
Net people
-1,852
exemptions

-0.9 net people per 1,000 residents (population 1,978,379)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$1.3B
Moved out$1.6B
Net -$245.6M (nominal)
HowAmericaMoves.com

Nebraska counties

Net migration by county. Hover for figures; click a county to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
Loading map…

Top origin states

  1. 1Iowa3,156$166.5M
  2. 2Texas1,860$112.7M
  3. 3Colorado1,822$120.2M
  4. 4California1,398$85.4M
  5. 5Florida1,211$71.9M
  6. 6Kansas1,161$63.8M
  7. 7Missouri942$56.2M
  8. 8South Dakota907$48.5M
  9. 9Arizona799$54.5M
  10. 10Minnesota636$36M
HowAmericaMoves.com

Top destination states

  1. 1Iowa3,172$182.8M
  2. 2Texas2,087$152.5M
  3. 3Colorado1,802$114.4M
  4. 4Florida1,411$138.7M
  5. 5Kansas1,267$76.5M
  6. 6Missouri1,107$67.9M
  7. 7California1,047$68.7M
  8. 8Arizona995$82.9M
  9. 9South Dakota970$58.1M
  10. 10Minnesota804$49M
HowAmericaMoves.com

Churn by state · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Iowa3,1563,172-16-$16.3M
Texas1,8602,087-227-$39.8M
Colorado1,8221,802+20+$5.8M
Florida1,2111,411-200-$66.8M
California1,3981,047+351+$16.7M
Kansas1,1611,267-106-$12.7M
Missouri9421,107-165-$11.7M
South Dakota907970-63-$9.5M
Arizona799995-196-$28.5M
Minnesota636804-168-$13.1M
Illinois617729-112-$2.4M
Washington438502-64-$1.1M

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$3.1B (-34,119 people)
20122023
HowAmericaMoves.com
Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$72M-833
2013-$165.9M-1,367
2014-$231.4M-2,499
2015-$193.6M-1,023
2016-$207.7M-2,047
2017-$415.2M-5,960
2018-$291.6M-3,960
2019-$236.9M-4,603
2020-$497.9M-4,214
2021-$206M-3,900
2022-$297.8M-1,861
2023-$245.6M-1,852
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the state?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 1,852 more people left Nebraska than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $245.6M in income (nominal) — in a state of 1,988,172 people.

Population
1,988,172
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-0.9
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -9 people.
Net income per resident
−$124
nominal dollars
-$245.6M total across 1,988,172 residents.

The rate lets you compare Nebraska with a stateof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the state’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+24,579
Deaths
-18,435
Net domestic migration
-1,074
Net international migration
+10,738
Total change
+15,577

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Nebraska run about 10% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $111 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$71,517
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
2% above the U.S. average
Price level
90.3
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 9.7% lower than average
What that income buys
$79,210
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
13% above the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Price parity shown at the state level (BEA does not publish a single figure below the metro level).

HowAmericaMoves.com

Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents74.3
Goods96.5
Utilities79.4
Other services91.9

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Who lives here

The people of Nebraska

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
37.1
years
Median household income
$74,985
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
5% below the U.S. median
College degree
34%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
10.3%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
19 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
90%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 76%Hispanic 12%Black 5%Asian 2%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com

Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$223,800
owner-occupied homes
26% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,035
gross rent per month
23% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
67%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+8.2%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+49%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
8,877new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 53%Multifamily 47%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
2.3%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
1,065,182
1,040,693 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Unemployment now
2.8%
May 2026 · ▬ 0.0 points vs May 2025
January 2024May 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this state, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Who’s moving by income

Net migration by income bracket

Tax-filing households that moved into Nebraska minus those that left, by the adjusted gross income they reported, 20222023. Positive means more arrived than left at that income level.

$1–$10k
-119
In 1,911Out 2,030-$414K AGI
$10k–$25k
+241
In 4,806Out 4,565+$4.8M AGI
$25k–$50k
-128
In 6,771Out 6,899-$5.9M AGI
$50k–$75k
-457
In 3,456Out 3,913-$28.7M AGI
$75k–$100k
-271
In 1,862Out 2,133-$24.1M AGI
$100k–$200k
-480
In 2,481Out 2,961-$64.2M AGI
$200k+
-240
In 866Out 1,106-$126.2M AGI

Among the highest earners ($200k+), Nebraska ranks #31 of 51 states for net household migration (-240).

Source: IRS Statistics of Income, state-level gross migration file (returns with negative AGI are excluded, so this won’t exactly match the totals above). Income is what filers reported, not a reason anyone moved. Compare all states by income bracket. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Goods trade

What Nebraska ships and receives

Physical goods shipped between Nebraska and other states, 2022. This is freight, not the migration of people or income shown above.

$88.6B
Ships to other states
+39% since 2017
$69.2B
Receives from states
+30% since 2017
+$19.3B
Net balance

Top goods shipped out

Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and their preparations
$26.5B
Other prepared foodstuffs and fats and oils
$11.3B
Machinery
$9.8B
Cereal grains (includes seed)
$9.7B
Animal feed, eggs, honey, and other products of animal origin
$8.0B
Agricultural products (excludes animal feed, cereal grains, and forage products)
$7.7B

Top goods received

Mixed freight
$8.8B
Cereal grains (includes seed)
$6.9B
Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and their preparations
$6.8B
Machinery
$6.1B
Fertilizers
$5.4B
Agricultural products (excludes animal feed, cereal grains, and forage products)
$5.0B

Biggest trading partners (both ways)

Goods trade runs in both directions: states swap different goods, so a partner is often near the top of both columns. Net is ships minus receives (positive means Nebraska ships more to that partner than it gets back).

PartnerShips toReceivesNetTotal
Iowa$10.6B$8.3B+$2.3B$18.9B
Texas$9.2B$6.8B+$2.4B$16.0B
California$10.4B$2.6B+$7.9B$13.0B
Illinois$6.2B$6.8B-$609M$12.9B
Kansas$3.7B$5.6B-$1.9B$9.3B
Missouri$4.3B$3.9B+$394M$8.2B
Minnesota$3.3B$3.5B-$225M$6.8B
Colorado$3.4B$3.3B+$103M$6.7B

Goods shipped every five years by the Census Commodity Flow Survey (a sample, so figures are estimates and the smallest flows are withheld). Value is nominal. The totals and partner table above count trade between Nebraska and other states; the goods lists count everything the state ships or receives, including within-state shipments. Compare all states. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com
Taxes the state collects

What Nebraska collects in taxes

Total state taxes
$7.3B
FY 2023, nominal
Per resident
$3,685
total state taxes ÷ population
Largest categories (share of total)
Individual income tax$3B · 41%
General sales & gross receipts$2.7B · 37%
Corporation net income tax$693M · 9%
Motor fuels sales tax$373.7M · 5%
Motor vehicle license$126.6M · 2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections. This is what the state government collected (not local taxes), not a measure of any individual’s tax burden. How the data works.

HowAmericaMoves.com

How Nebraska has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

President, 19762024

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
2024369,995564,81612,348R +20.6947,159
2020374,583556,84620,283R +19.2951,712
2016284,494495,96163,772R +25.0844,227
2012302,081475,06417,234R +21.8794,379
2008333,319452,97914,983R +14.9801,281
2004254,328512,81411,044R +33.2778,186
2000231,780433,86231,377R +29.0697,019
1996236,761363,46777,187R +18.7677,415
1992216,864343,678177,004R +17.2737,546
1988259,235397,9564,274R +21.0661,465
1984187,866460,0544,170R +41.7652,090
1980166,424419,21453,895R +39.5639,533
1976233,293359,21914,237R +20.8606,749

U.S. Senate races · all states →

YearWinnerDemocraticRepublicanOtherMargin
2024specialPete Ricketts349,902585,103R +25.2
2024Deb Fischer499,124439,212
2020Ben Sasse227,191583,507113,526R +38.3
2018Deb Fischer269,917403,15125,349R +19.1
2014Ben Sasse170,127347,63622,574R +32.9
2012Deb Fischer332,979455,593R +15.5
2008Mike Johanns317,456455,85419,201R +17.5
2006E. Benjamin Nelson378,388213,928D +27.8
2002Chuck Hagel70,290397,43812,489R +68.1
2000Ben Nelson353,093337,977D +2.2

U.S. House seats won · district maps →

2024
D 0 · R 3
2022
D 0 · R 3
2020
D 0 · R 3
2018
D 0 · R 3
2016
D 0 · R 3
2014
D 1 · R 2
2012
D 0 · R 3
2010
D 0 · R 3
2008
D 0 · R 3
2006
D 0 · R 3
2004
D 0 · R 3
2002
D 0 · R 3
2000
D 0 · R 3

2024 results by county

Republican wonDemocratic wonIndependent / other
Which party received the most votes, as a solid color.Winning margin as a share of all votes cast.Change in margin since 2020, in percentage points.Total votes cast, all candidates.
Loading map…

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

Counties in Nebraska (93)

Get the next update for Nebraska

The IRS releases new migration data once a year. Drop your email and we will send the refreshed numbers when they land. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.