Nebraska•In office since 2023•Party: R

Jim Pillen

Serving as Governor of Nebraska since 2023. Evaluation based on verified public data.

Overall GradeB+

70.7 / 100

Ranked #17 of 50 nationally

Economy

65.0 / 100B

Unemployment RateA-

2.7%

National avg 3.9%

Rank 6 of 5090 pct

Trend since took officefrom 2.9%

Median Household IncomeB

$71,722

National avg $74,580

Rank 28 of 5045 pct

Trend since took officefrom $59,116

Job GrowthB-

3.5%

National avg 5.5%

Rank 35 of 5032 pct

Trend since took officefrom 1.5%

Real GDP GrowthC+

5.0%

National avg 8.0%

Rank 37 of 5028 pct

Trend since took officefrom 2.0%

Real Wage GrowthB

2.8%

National avg 3.0%

Rank 29 of 5044 pct

Trend since took officefrom 1.0%

Fiscal Health

69.4 / 100B+

State Debt per CapitaA-

$1,500

National avg $3,580

Rank 10 of 5083 pct

Trend since took officefrom $1,650

Rainy Day FundA-

20.0%

National avg 14.0%

Rank 10 of 5082 pct

Trend since took officefrom 18.0%

State & Local Tax BurdenD

11.5%

National avg 11.2%

Rank 37 of 5028 pct

Trend since took officefrom 11.4%

Credit RatingA+

100

National avg 90

Rank 12 of 5079 pct

Trend since took officefrom 100

Quality of Life

57.2 / 100B-

Poverty RateB

10.6%

National avg 11.5%

Rank 17 of 5068 pct

Trend since took officefrom 11.1%

High School Graduation RateB-

88.6%

National avg 87.0%

Rank 17 of 5067 pct

Trend since took officefrom 89.5%

Life ExpectancyB-

77.7 yrs

National avg 77.5 yrs

Rank 17 of 5067 pct

Trend since took officefrom 78.1 yrs

Violent Crime RateD+

328 / 100k

National avg 380 / 100k

Rank 22 of 5057 pct

Trend since took officefrom 279 / 100k

Bridges in Poor ConditionB-

5.0%

National avg 6.6%

Rank 21 of 5059 pct

Trend since took officefrom 5.4%

How this grade is built

Each metric gets two scores: how the state ranks among all 50 states (60%) and how much it changed under this governor (40%). These combine into a 0–100 score per metric, averaged within three pillars — Economy, Fiscal Health, Quality of Life — then curved across the cohort so grades spread A–F.

Full methodology →