| Rank |
County |
Misc. Disaster Payments
1995-2012 | Pct of
Total | Running
Percentage |
| 1 | Custer County, Nebraska | $17,543,537 | 3.3% | 3.3% |
| 2 | Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska | $15,203,637 | 2.9% | 6.2% |
| 3 | Cheyenne County, Nebraska | $14,468,975 | 2.7% | 9.0% |
| 4 | Red Willow County, Nebraska | $13,783,170 | 2.6% | 11.6% |
| 5 | Furnas County, Nebraska | $13,759,781 | 2.6% | 14.2% |
| 6 | Perkins County, Nebraska | $13,585,108 | 2.6% | 16.8% |
| 7 | Lincoln County, Nebraska | $11,487,285 | 2.2% | 18.9% |
| 8 | Frontier County, Nebraska | $11,441,968 | 2.2% | 21.1% |
| 9 | Gage County, Nebraska | $11,421,110 | 2.2% | 23.3% |
| 10 | Dawes County, Nebraska | $11,274,625 | 2.1% | 25.4% |
| 11 | Hitchcock County, Nebraska | $11,118,871 | 2.1% | 27.5% |
| 12 | Sheridan County, Nebraska | $11,105,453 | 2.1% | 29.6% |
| 13 | Box Butte County, Nebraska | $10,567,649 | 2.0% | 31.6% |
| 14 | Otoe County, Nebraska | $9,834,593 | 1.9% | 33.5% |
| 15 | Holt County, Nebraska | $9,725,511 | 1.8% | 35.3% |
| 16 | Knox County, Nebraska | $9,240,544 | 1.8% | 37.1% |
| 17 | Buffalo County, Nebraska | $9,203,241 | 1.7% | 38.8% |
| 18 | Nance County, Nebraska | $8,799,893 | 1.7% | 40.5% |
| 19 | Chase County, Nebraska | $8,388,921 | 1.6% | 42.1% |
| 20 | Kimball County, Nebraska | $8,352,146 | 1.6% | 43.7% |
| 21 | Nuckolls County, Nebraska | $8,290,616 | 1.6% | 45.3% |
| 22 | Morrill County, Nebraska | $8,274,975 | 1.6% | 46.8% |
| 23 | Dundy County, Nebraska | $8,100,909 | 1.5% | 48.4% |
| 24 | Dawson County, Nebraska | $7,755,971 | 1.5% | 49.8% |
| 25 | Hayes County, Nebraska | $7,469,159 | 1.4% | 51.3% |
| 26 | Jefferson County, Nebraska | $7,093,672 | 1.3% | 52.6% |
| 27 | Boyd County, Nebraska | $6,939,890 | 1.3% | 53.9% |
| 28 | Nemaha County, Nebraska | $6,913,343 | 1.3% | 55.2% |
| 29 | Butler County, Nebraska | $6,773,821 | 1.3% | 56.5% |
| 30 | Saline County, Nebraska | $6,538,814 | 1.2% | 57.8% |
| 31 | Cass County, Nebraska | $6,415,502 | 1.2% | 59.0% |
| 32 | Fillmore County, Nebraska | $6,123,330 | 1.2% | 60.1% |
| 33 | Seward County, Nebraska | $6,080,444 | 1.2% | 61.3% |
| 34 | Sherman County, Nebraska | $6,057,497 | 1.1% | 62.4% |
| 35 | Gosper County, Nebraska | $6,044,644 | 1.1% | 63.6% |
| 36 | Polk County, Nebraska | $5,983,880 | 1.1% | 64.7% |
| 37 | Harlan County, Nebraska | $5,951,782 | 1.1% | 65.9% |
| 38 | Valley County, Nebraska | $5,830,459 | 1.1% | 67.0% |
| 39 | Webster County, Nebraska | $5,827,345 | 1.1% | 68.1% |
| 40 | Clay County, Nebraska | $5,769,639 | 1.1% | 69.2% |
| 41 | Platte County, Nebraska | $5,728,022 | 1.1% | 70.2% |
| 42 | Pierce County, Nebraska | $5,405,816 | 1.0% | 71.3% |
| 43 | Pawnee County, Nebraska | $5,373,140 | 1.0% | 72.3% |
| 44 | Thayer County, Nebraska | $5,343,278 | 1.0% | 73.3% |
| 45 | Cedar County, Nebraska | $5,316,709 | 1.0% | 74.3% |
| 46 | Keith County, Nebraska | $5,238,033 | 1.0% | 75.3% |
| 47 | Lancaster County, Nebraska | $5,194,729 | 1.0% | 76.3% |
| 48 | Franklin County, Nebraska | $5,185,662 | 1.0% | 77.3% |
| 49 | Banner County, Nebraska | $4,852,049 | 0.9% | 78.2% |
| 50 | Richardson County, Nebraska | $4,807,668 | 0.9% | 79.1% |
| 51 | Deuel County, Nebraska | $4,415,905 | 0.8% | 79.9% |
| 52 | Boone County, Nebraska | $4,388,287 | 0.8% | 80.8% |
| 53 | Howard County, Nebraska | $4,244,805 | 0.8% | 81.6% |
| 54 | Antelope County, Nebraska | $4,147,369 | 0.8% | 82.4% |
| 55 | Greeley County, Nebraska | $4,076,082 | 0.8% | 83.1% |
| 56 | Johnson County, Nebraska | $4,003,883 | 0.8% | 83.9% |
| 57 | Dodge County, Nebraska | $3,875,458 | 0.7% | 84.6% |
| 58 | York County, Nebraska | $3,867,095 | 0.7% | 85.4% |
| 59 | Burt County, Nebraska | $3,826,598 | 0.7% | 86.1% |
| 60 | Wayne County, Nebraska | $3,623,476 | 0.7% | 86.8% |
| 61 | Madison County, Nebraska | $3,587,245 | 0.7% | 87.5% |
| 62 | Cherry County, Nebraska | $3,575,894 | 0.7% | 88.1% |
| 63 | Saunders County, Nebraska | $3,485,114 | 0.7% | 88.8% |
| 64 | Adams County, Nebraska | $3,345,780 | 0.6% | 89.4% |
| 65 | Phelps County, Nebraska | $3,294,790 | 0.6% | 90.1% |
| 66 | Hall County, Nebraska | $3,273,557 | 0.6% | 90.7% |
| 67 | Hamilton County, Nebraska | $3,222,519 | 0.6% | 91.3% |
| 68 | Kearney County, Nebraska | $3,204,284 | 0.6% | 91.9% |
| 69 | Cuming County, Nebraska | $3,049,902 | 0.6% | 92.5% |
| 70 | Colfax County, Nebraska | $2,794,540 | 0.5% | 93.0% |
| 71 | Rock County, Nebraska | $2,782,339 | 0.5% | 93.5% |
| 72 | Merrick County, Nebraska | $2,746,388 | 0.5% | 94.1% |
| 73 | Garden County, Nebraska | $2,682,175 | 0.5% | 94.6% |
| 74 | Keya Paha County, Nebraska | $2,666,195 | 0.5% | 95.1% |
| 75 | Washington County, Nebraska | $2,574,428 | 0.5% | 95.6% |
| 76 | Stanton County, Nebraska | $2,302,552 | 0.4% | 96.0% |
| 77 | Sioux County, Nebraska | $2,265,528 | 0.4% | 96.4% |
| 78 | Logan County, Nebraska | $2,242,151 | 0.4% | 96.9% |
| 79 | Dixon County, Nebraska | $2,123,880 | 0.4% | 97.3% |
| 80 | Brown County, Nebraska | $2,113,222 | 0.4% | 97.7% |
| 81 | Garfield County, Nebraska | $2,021,110 | 0.4% | 98.0% |
| 82 | Wheeler County, Nebraska | $1,952,811 | 0.4% | 98.4% |
| 83 | Sarpy County, Nebraska | $1,940,680 | 0.4% | 98.8% |
| 84 | Loup County, Nebraska | $1,716,560 | 0.3% | 99.1% |
| 85 | Thurston County, Nebraska | $1,463,833 | 0.3% | 99.4% |
| 86 | Dakota County, Nebraska | $1,401,362 | 0.3% | 99.7% |
| 87 | Douglas County, Nebraska | $634,336 | 0.1% | 99.8% |
| 88 | McPherson County, Nebraska | $441,130 | 0.1% | 99.9% |
| 89 | Arthur County, Nebraska | $221,390 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 90 | Thomas County, Nebraska | $221,193 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 91 | Blaine County, Nebraska | $194,799 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 92 | Hooker County, Nebraska | $88,002 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 93 | Grant County, Nebraska | $33,242 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from USDA data.
Note: The information on conservation spending for 2011and 2012 are incomplete due to missing data from USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. In addition some payments made in 2010 were not assigned to recipients in the data received from NRCS. Those payments are also not included.
The information provided for the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) provides an inaccurate picture of how WRP payments are distributed. USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service uses title companies as intermediaries to finalize wetlands easements under the Wetlands Reserve Program. As a result, the data provided to us shows large sums of money going to these title companies. In reality, the payments are ultimately distributed to landowners participating in the WRP.
Unfortunately, NRCS has not provided the data to show where these farms and wetlands are located or which farmers or landowners are enrolling in the program, so EWG is unable to allocate these large sums of money to individuals beyond the title companies. Therefore, these companies skew the conservation rankings and payment concentration, which EWG cannot avoid unless and until NRCS makes available the additional farm attribution data. Therefore, we have not included WRP payments in the 2011 or 2012 data update.
We have separated data on farm commodity, disaster and conservation payments in order to provide a more accurate picture of top recipients and concentration of payments among the three main categories of USDA programs.
Finally, EWG works hard to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides through its products and services, but obtains data for the Farm Subsidy Database from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, EWG cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information USDA provides or any analysis based thereon. If you find an error or discrepancy on the site, please contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office to check its records before contacting EWG.
