Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: NE NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — October 2026
Nebraska finance wages climb statewide while local ad rates fall.
Nebraska finance and insurance wages rose 7.1% this year even as metro advertised pay for Controllers ($96,405) and Tax Specialists ($43,901) declined against rising national medians.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Nebraska unemployment rate: 2.9% — vs 4.2% national rate, September 2026
- Finance & insurance wage growth: 7.1% — 2nd-highest sector gain in Nebraska, statewide
- Nebraska labor force change: -7,800 workers — Year-over-year decline despite low unemployment
- CFO turnover rate, national: 18.3% — Highest since pandemic; 37.5% external hire rate
Key takeaways
Local Controller pay is falling while national pay climbs.
Metro Controller advertised pay sits at a median of $96,405, down this month, against a national median of $115,420 that is rising moderately. The widening gap raises flight risk for incumbent Controllers who can benchmark their own pay against national postings and increases cost exposure if replacement hiring requires national-level offers.
Tax Specialist pay gap has become too wide to ignore.
Metro Tax Specialist median pay of $43,901 trails the national median of $69,556 by more than $25,000, a significant and widening local decline against a significant national increase. Finance leaders relying on in-house tax staff should treat this as an early signal that local candidates may be drawn toward remote national opportunities offering substantially higher pay.
Finance wage growth statewide outpaces what local postings show.
Nebraska finance and insurance average weekly wages grew 7.1% this year, the state's second-fastest sector gain, yet several finance role categories in this nonmetro area show declining advertised pay. Lagging advertised rates against strong sector-level wage growth may suggest local postings have not yet caught up to actual market tightness, a gap worth testing before relying on current ad data for budget cycles.
Shrinking labor force compounds Finance hiring timelines.
Nebraska's labor force fell by roughly 7,800 workers year over year even as unemployment held near historic lows at 2.9%, meaning fewer available candidates statewide for finance and accounting seats. Combined with CFO external hiring rates at 37.5% nationally, Finance leaders in this metro should expect longer time-to-fill for senior finance roles during year-end close and audit staffing.
Median advertised pay by role — NE NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $87,537 | $96,405 | $107,500 | Moderate decline | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $70,890 | $78,367 | $82,410 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $72,418 | $87,500 | $102,268 | Significant decline | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $37,036 | $41,600 | $45,386 | Moderate decline | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $36,569 | $43,901 | $46,715 | Significant decline | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst | $51,147 | $54,152 | $61,287 | Significant decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager | $95,017 | $117,729 | $149,168 | Moderate decline | $130,000 |
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Nebraska's statewide unemployment rate held at 2.9% in September, well below the 4.2% national figure, but the labor force contracted by roughly 7,800 workers year over year, pointing to a shrinking candidate pool across nonmetropolitan counties even as demand holds firm. Finance and insurance employment statewide grew 1.5% with average weekly wages up 7.1%, the second-fastest pace of any sector, signaling that scarce finance talent in smaller labor markets is pulling compensation upward even as broader hiring momentum softens.
What it means
Advertised pay for Controller, Financial Analyst, Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst roles in this metro has moved down this month even as national medians for several of these roles rose or held steady, a divergence that complicates headcount cost planning for Finance teams benchmarking against national survey data. A shrinking nonmetro labor force combined with statewide finance wage growth of 7.1% suggests underlying scarcity has not fully shown up in local advertised rates yet, creating risk that budgets built on current local figures understate what it will take to fill a Controller or FP&A Manager seat before close or audit cycles. Consider reviewing whether local advertised pay figures reflect a temporary lull in local postings as opposed to a durable discount to national compensation levels before finalizing 2027 headcount budgets.
Looking ahead
Expected release: BLS metro-level employment data for October will not publish until December 2, leaving Finance leaders without updated local unemployment or payroll figures through the current budget cycle. Plan headcount cost assumptions around the September 2.9% statewide rate until that release lands.
Emerging pressure point: Nebraska's state-level WARN Act, effective July 18, now requires 90-day notice for mass layoffs at firms with 100+ employees, stricter than federal rules. Watch for early filings under this law as a leading indicator of finance and accounting talent entering the local candidate pool.
Worth watching: National CFO turnover is projected at 18.3% for 2026, the highest since the pandemic, with 85% of CFOs reporting finance talent shortages. Nonmetro Nebraska employers competing for the same scarce senior finance talent should expect spillover pressure on Controller and FP&A Manager compensation even without local turnover events.
Potential inflection point: Contract finance staffing is rising nationally, with 70% of finance and accounting leaders increasing contractor use in H2 2026. If that trend reaches this nonmetro market, Finance leaders should reassess audit-readiness documentation and internal control coverage before year-end close.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Nebraska Dept. of Labor — Nebraska unemployment rate held at 2.9% in September 2026
- Nebraska Dept. of Labor — Finance and insurance average weekly wages grew 7.1%, second-highest sector
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Nebraska labor force declined by roughly 7,800 workers year over year
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — BLS metro employment data for October releases December 2, 2026
- Nebraska Legislature — Nebraska state WARN Act took effect July 18, 2026 with 90-day notice requirement
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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