Douglas County Economic Indicators - January 2026

tcarpenter03
4 hours ago
2 min read

The January 2026 edition of the Douglas County Economic Indicators is also available at this QualityInfo.org link.

The most recent data release covers November 2025. I’ll be back in your inbox in two weeks with data finishing out 2025.

Over the year to November, Douglas County employment was essentially flat, adding 80 jobs. Following the year’s theme, the fastest growing sector was health care, with professional services also adding jobs. Manufacturing and retail employment contracted over the year.

Unemployment in November was 6.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis. That’s one percentage point higher than November 2024.

Graph of the Month: In mid-December we released our newest round of ten-year employment projections. Using the new estimates, I took a look at the jobs that are projected to grow the most in our area.

As always, how you ask the question matters. On the left I look at the jobs growing the fastest on a percentage basis, which emphasizes smaller technical careers in high growth industries. The continued growth in health care is evident here – all ten are in or are directly related to health services. In addition, seven of the ten require a masters degree or doctorate.

On the right are the occupations adding the most jobs numerically. Those tend to be large occupations in a broader swath of industries projected to grow in Douglas County. These roles will require a varied range of education and training, and fit in several industries or in sectors with lots of entry level opportunities.

This month’s articles included: