Dawson County sees massive unemployment spike following Tyson plant closure

DAWSON COUNTY, Neb. (KSNB) - The state released official unemployment data for January and preliminary data for February, showing a dramatic increase in Dawson County following the closure of a Tyson plant.

Dawson County, the site of the now-closed Tyson plant that eliminated roughly 3,200 jobs, saw its unemployment rate jump from 3.4% in January to an estimated 16.9% in February.

Dawson County unemployment surge

In January, Dawson County had a 3.4% unemployment rate. By February, the county had an estimated 2,128 people unemployed, compared with an estimated 474 in January. That is an estimated increase of 1,654 people.

The spike is by far the largest in the state. Dawson County makes up roughly 5.5% of the state’s total unemployed workforce.

In January, Thomas County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 5.5%. By February, Dawson County’s 16.9% rate far exceeded all other counties.

Other counties

Douglas County saw its unemployment rate hold steady at 3.6% for the month, with roughly 100 more people unemployed.

Lancaster County saw an increase in unemployment from 3.1% to 3.2%.

Hall County saw a decrease in unemployment from 5.4% to 3.9%.

Adams County saw a decrease in unemployment from 3.6% to 3.4%.

Buffalo County saw an increase in unemployment from 2.5% to 2.8%.

Lincoln County saw its unemployment rate hold steady at 2.9% for the month, with roughly 100 more people unemployed.

Statewide data

The rest of the state averaged a rate of 3.5%, up from 3.3%.

The state of Nebraska saw its unemployment rate jump from 3.0% to 3.5%.

Click here to subscribe to our KSNB Local4 daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.