Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA MSA — October 2026
Omaha finance wages outrun a shrinking labor force.
Nebraska finance and insurance wages grew 7.1% year-over-year against a labor force that shrank by roughly 7,800 workers, while Omaha's FP&A Manager pay climbed to $145,521 — now above the $130,000 national median.
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 growth statewide, behind information
- Nebraska labor force change: -7,792 — Year-over-year decline, Sept. 2026 vs. Sept. 2025
- Median time-to-fill, nonexecutive roles: 39 days — Nebraska statewide average, 2026
Key takeaways
Finance wage growth is outpacing the broader Omaha labor market.
Nebraska finance and insurance wages grew 7.1% year-over-year, more than double the metro's overall average weekly wage trend. Budget models built on blended metro wage assumptions likely understate true cost pressure for finance headcount specifically.
FP&A Manager pay signals a structural shift in demand.
Metro FP&A Manager advertised pay rose significantly to $145,521, now exceeding the national median of $130,000. That inversion suggests Omaha employers are bidding above national rates to secure scarce forecasting and planning talent amid thin local labor supply.
Shrinking labor force narrows the bench for finance hiring.
Nebraska's labor force fell by roughly 7,800 workers year-over-year even as job openings persist, meaning replacement hiring for controllers and senior accountants draws from a pool that is actively contracting. Expect longer requisition timelines and more reliance on counteroffers to retain incumbents.
Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst pay point to compliance-driven demand.
Both roles show significant upward movement locally, consistent with heightened scrutiny around Nebraska's new state WARN Act and broader wage-and-hour compliance changes taking effect this year. Compensation increases here may reflect employers staffing up for regulatory complexity alongside general growth.
Median advertised pay by role — Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $84,979 | $109,200 | $116,242 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $72,125 | $78,798 | $83,372 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $70,492 | $87,500 | $93,329 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $42,157 | $53,154 | $58,773 | Moderate increase | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $43,424 | $66,508 | $72,614 | Significant increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst | $57,188 | $66,120 | $74,920 | Moderate increase | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager | $108,984 | $145,521 | $151,681 | Significant increase | $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 unemployment rate held at 2.9% in September, well below the 4.2% national rate, while the state's labor force shrank by roughly 7,800 people year-over-year — a contraction that concentrates pressure on sectors already competing for scarce talent. Finance and insurance employment grew 1.5% statewide with average weekly wages up 7.1%, the second-highest wage growth of any sector after information, signaling that compensation costs in finance functions are rising faster than broader labor market trends would suggest.
What it means
Finance leaders building 2027 headcount budgets are working against a labor pool that is shrinking even as unemployment stays historically low, meaning vacancy costs and time-to-fill — now averaging 39 days statewide — carry more weight in cost planning than they did a year ago. National CFO turnover at 18.3% and 85% of CFOs reporting finance talent shortages point to vacancy risk concentrated around close and audit cycles, where a single departure can stretch timelines and elevate control risk. Consider reviewing contingency staffing plans for finance roles with audit-period exposure, given that 70% of finance leaders nationally are already shifting toward contract talent to bridge these gaps.
Looking ahead
Expected release: October metro and state employment data publish November 20 via BLS, the first hard read on whether Nebraska's 2.9% unemployment rate held through the fourth quarter. Finance leaders finalizing 2027 headcount budgets should treat current figures as provisional until that release.
Emerging pressure point: Meta's Papillion expansion and continued Google investment are drawing electrical and mechanical trades out of an already thin statewide labor pool, a dynamic that historically spills into adjacent professional hiring as competition for talent intensifies. Watch whether this tightens the market for finance roles supporting capital project accounting and controllership at affected firms.
Potential inflection point: National CFO external hiring rates climbed to 37.5% in 2026, the highest in recent years, suggesting more finance leadership turnover will churn through the Omaha market as national firms recruit regionally. Local controllers and FP&A managers may see increased outside interest as a result.
Worth watching: Nebraska's shift to a fixed 1.75% annual minimum wage increase starting January 2027 removes CPI-linked volatility from lower-band compensation planning. Finance teams managing budgets for billing and entry-level accounting roles gain a more predictable input for 2027 forecasting.
Sources
- Nebraska Department of Labor — Nebraska unemployment rate at 2.9% vs 4.2% national rate, September 2026
- Nebraska Department of Labor — Finance and insurance average weekly wage growth of 7.1%
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- Robert Half — 70% of finance leaders increasing use of contract talent in H2 2026
- Nebraska Department of Labor — Nebraska labor force declined year-over-year through September 2026
- Nebraska Department of Labor — Median time-to-fill for nonexecutive positions fell to 39 days
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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