Omaha: Economy

Major Industries and Commercial Activity

There are more than 20,400 businesses located in the metropolitan statistical area, with total employment approaching 375,000. The city is home to five Fortune 500 companies: ConAgra, Peter Kiewit Sons, Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, and Mutual of Omaha. More than 30 other Fortune 500 companies have manufacturing plants in the metropolitan area.

The headquarters of about 30 insurance companies call Omaha home. More than half of the two dozen telemarketing/direct response/reservation centers operating in Omaha also have their corporate headquarters located in the metropolitan area. Many other large firms have their headquarters in Omaha, including Lozier Corporation, First Data Corp, ITI Marketing Services, Omaha Steaks International, Pamida, Oriental Trading Company, Valmont Industries, Inc., and Godfather's Pizza, Inc.

The Omaha economy is well diversified, with no industry sector accounting for more than a third of total employment. Omaha's highest concentration of employment is in trade, transportation, and utilities with strong showings in education and health services as well as professional and business services. This is offset by a relatively smaller share of total employment in the manufacturing, construction and mining, and information sectors.

Items and goods produced: a variety of food items from raw products like meat and flour to finished consumer goods like frozen dinners and cereal; irrigation equipment; phone apparatus; store fixtures; hydraulic motors and pumps; paper boxes and packaging materials; furniture; computer components

Incentive Programs—New and Existing Companies

Local programs

Assisting in the expansion of new and existing business at the local level are the Small Business Council, the Omaha Small Business Network, Inc., and the Omaha Regional Minority Purchasing Council. Among other finance programs are community development block grants, improvement financing, industrial development revenue bonds, and a range of local and state tax credits.

State programs

In addition to receiving conventional financing from banks and other lending institutions, qualified Omaha businesses can take advantage of state and local programs. Among them are the Nebraska Business and Development Center and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which provide technical and research assistance. Invest Nebraska partners with the state of Nebraska along with other donations to introduce entrepreneurs to individual investors and venture capital firms. Federal and state programs include the Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Corporation, the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA), various Small Business Administration loans, the Nebraska Research and Development Authority, the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR), and the Urban Development Action Grant.

The state of Nebraska has emphasized its commitment to revitalized economic growth in all parts of the state with a series of laws designed to make the state an even better place to do business. Firms can earn a series of tax credits and refunds for investment and new job creation through the provisions of the Employment and Investment Growth Act (LB 775), as well as the Employment Expansion and Investment Incentive Act (LB 270), the Enterprise Zone Act (LB 725), Quality Jobs Act (LB 829), Incentive Electric Rates (LB 828), and Nebraska Redevelopment Act (LB 830).

Development Projects

During the past decade, many development projects were successfully completed in Omaha. Work began in 1999 on a 33-block redevelopment area in downtown with a total investment of $2 billion. In 2003 the $291 million Qwest Center Omaha was constructed on the northeast edge of downtown Omaha that includes a 17,000-seat arena and a convention center highlighted by 194,000 square feet of exhibition space. In 2003 the Gallup Organization opened a $75 million campus for executive and management training. The spring of 2004 saw the debut of the $66 million, 450-room Hilton Hotel that is attached to the Qwest Center Omaha by an elevated walkway.

Economic Development Information: Economic Development Council, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, 1301 Harney St., Omaha, NE 68102; telephone (402)346-5905; toll-free (800)852-2622

Commercial Shipping

More than 144 million pounds of cargo passed through Eppley Airfield in 2004. An international point of entry with access to a Foreign Trade Zone, it is served by eight air freight carriers. The Union Pacific and several other major railroads provide freight service that is coordinated with many of the trucking companies serving the metropolitan area.

Labor Force and Employment Outlook

The Omaha labor force is described as highly productive, possessing an old-fashioned work ethic, and lacking a regional accent, so workers are considered excellent for the phone operations and high-technology jobs proliferating there. While unemployment has increased since 2000, there has been consistent growth in the overall labor force. However, the workforce does suffer from wage rates that are approximately 14 percent below the national average.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Omaha, Nebraska-Council Bluffs, Iowa metropolitan area labor force, 2004 annual averages.

Size of non-agricultural labor force: 446,500

Number of workers employed in . . .

construction and mining: 25,500

manufacturing: 32,900

trade, transportation, and utilities: 98,100

information: 13,500

financial activities: 37,200

professional and business services: 60,800

educational and health services: 62,300

leisure and hospitality: 40,500

other services: 16,300

government: 58,900

Average hourly earnings of production workers employed in manufacturing: $17.93

Unemployment rate: 5.0% (February 2005)

Cost of Living

The following is a summary of data regarding several key cost of living factors in the Omaha area.

2004 (3rd Quarter) ACCRA Average House Price: $224,312

2004 (3rd Quarter) ACCRA Cost of Living Index: 92.0 (U.S. average = 100.0)

State income tax rate: Graduated from 2.56% to 6.84% (2004; rate set yearly by state legislature)

State sales tax rate: 5.5%

Local income tax rate: None

Local sales tax rate: 1.5%

Property tax rate: $1.85460 to $2.39067 per $100 of assessed valuation (2004)

Economic Information: Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, 1301 Harney St., Omaha, NE 68102; telephone (402)346-5000; fax (402)346-7050; email info@omahachamber.org

Omaha: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Omaha Public Schools is the largest elementary and secondary public education system in Nebraska. A nonpartisan, twelve-member board of education appoints a superintendent.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Omaha public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.

Total enrollment: 46,035

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 63

middle schools: 11

high schools: 8

other: 5

Student/teacher ratio: 16:1

Teacher salaries average: $46,666

Funding per pupil: $7,293

An extensive parochial school system as well as a number of private schools provides complete curricula, including religious instruction, for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The most notable private institution is Boys Town, a residential facility founded in 1917 as the "city of little men" by Father Edward J. Flanagan.

Public Schools Information: Omaha Public Schools, 3215 Cuming St., Omaha, NE 68131-2024; telephone (402)557-2222

Colleges and Universities

The University of Nebraska at Omaha, with an enrollment of 14,000 students, awards graduate and undergraduate degrees in such fields as business, chemistry, engineering, social work, criminal justice, elementary education, and fine and dramatic arts. Affiliated with the university is the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which offers programs at all degree levels from associate to doctorate in areas that include dental hygiene, dentistry, medical technology, medicine, nuclear medicine technology, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician's assistant, radiation technology, and radiological technology.

Awarding associate through doctorate degrees, Creighton University is a private institution with colleges of arts and sciences and business administration and schools of law, nursing, pharmacy and allied health, dentistry, medicine, and graduate study and an annual enrollment of more than 6,500 students. Opened in 1943, Grace University is a private school with some 500 enrollees. Among the colleges located in the Omaha area are the College of Saint Mary (more than 900 attendees) and Metropolitan Community College (nearly 13,000 students). Area vocational schools offer specialized and technical training.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Omaha Public Library operates a main downtown facility, the W. Dale Clark Library (built in 1976), and nine branches while also providing services for the hearing- and visually-impaired. With holdings of nearly 800,000 volumes, plus videos, music cassette tapes, and compact discs, the library is also a depository for federal and state documents. Extensive main and departmental libraries are located on the campuses of all colleges and universities in the city. The University Library at the University of Nebraska consists of more than 750,000 volumes including 3,000 newspaper and journal subscriptions plus about two million microforms. Other libraries in Omaha are associated with government agencies, corporations, hospitals, religious groups, arts organizations, and the local newspaper.

Research centers affiliated with Omaha-area colleges and universities conduct studies in such fields as cancer, allergies, gerontology, human genetics, and neonatology. Founded in 1960, the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, is funded by the National Cancer Institute and housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, conducts research programs in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, immunology, nutrition, pathology, pharmacology, and virology.

Public Library Information: Omaha Public Library, 215 S 15th St., Omaha, NE 68102; telephone (402)444-4800; email webdesk@omaha.lib.ne.us

Omaha: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 585,122

1990: 618,262

2000: 716,998

Percent change, 1990–2000: 16.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 57th

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: 60th

City Residents

1980: 314,255

1990: 344,463

2000: 390,007

2003 estimate: 404,267

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 48th

U.S. rank in 1990: 48th

U.S. rank in 2000: 53rd (State rank: 1st)

Density: 3,370.7 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 305,745

Black or African American: 51,917

American Indian or Alaska Native: 2,616

Asian: 6,773

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 228

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 29,397

Other: 15,250

Percent of residents born in state: 60.1% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 28,249

Population 5 to 9 years old: 27,721

Population 10 to 14 years old: 27,420

Population 15 to 19 years old: 28,359

Population 20 to 24 years old: 31,178

Population 25 to 34 years old: 60,292

Population 35 to 44 years old: 59,917

Population 45 to 54 years old: 50,496

Population 55 to 59 years old: 16,839

Population 60 to 64 years old: 13,514

Population 65 to 74 years old: 23,832

Population 75 to 84 years old: 16,286

Population 85 years and over: 5,904

Median age: 33.5 years

Births (2003) Total number: 6,933

Deaths (2003) Total number: 3,320 (of which, 51 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $21,756

Median household income: $40,006

Total households: 157,034

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 13,842

$10,000 to $14,999: 9,203

$15,000 to $24,999: 22,319

$25,000 to $34,999: 23,026

$35,000 to $49,999: 27,310

$50,000 to $74,999: 30,643

$75,000 to $99,999: 14,953

$100,000 to $149,999: 10,128

$150,000 to $199,999: 2,471

$200,000 or more: 3,139

Percent of families below poverty level: 7.8% (45.6% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 28,781

Omaha: Convention Facilities

Centrally located downtown, within easy access of sightseeing, entertainment, shopping, dining, and lodging, the Omaha Civic Auditorium is a popular site for regional events as well as national conventions, trade shows, and meetings and has 122,000 square feet of floor space. The main exhibition hall, with more than 67,800 square feet of space, accommodates up to 300 booths and can be partitioned into separate meeting rooms. The multipurpose, 25,000-square-foot convention hall, providing space for 176 booths, hosts banquets and large meetings.

In 2003 the newly constructed Qwest Center Omaha and Arena debuted with its 194,000 square foot exhibition hall (that can be divided into three separate spaces) and 17,000-seat arena. Highlighted by a 31,000-square-foot ballroom, the center also has 12 meeting rooms with seating ranging from 71 to 503 guests.

The Peter Kiewit Conference Center, located in the new mall area, is operated by the College of Continuing Studies of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Accommodations include an auditorium with a seating capacity of more than 500 people, 18 meeting rooms for groups of five to 500 people, dining and catering service, and teleconferencing and computer access. Additional convention and meeting facilities are available at two clusters of hotels at 72nd and Grover Streets and 108th and L Streets; some of these offer a selection of meeting rooms for functions involving from 35 to 1,800 participants. One example is the Holiday Inn Convention Center with 61,000 square feet of meeting space featuring the 23,000 square foot "Palace Ballroom" that can seat 4,000 for receptions or 2,800 theater-style.

Convention Information: Greater Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1001 Farnam St., Ste. 200, Omaha, NE 68102; telephone (402)444-4660; toll-free (866)937-6624; fax (402)444-4511

Omaha: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

Omaha's daily newspaper is The Omaha World-Herald, published daily in the morning and evening and on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Several special-interest newspapers and magazines are also published in Omaha. Among them are The Catholic Voice and Jewish Press. The weekly Midlands Business Journal presents local business information on a weekly basis.

Television and Radio

Five television stations, affiliated with CBS, Fox, PBS, ABC, and NBC, broadcast from Omaha; two additional channels are received from Lincoln. Several companies supply cable television service to the metropolitan area. Radio programming that includes a range of musical formats such as rock, classical, jazz, and religious, as well as educational, information, and news features, is provided by 17 AM and FM stations based in Omaha.

Media Information: Omaha World-Herald, 1334 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68102; telephone (402)444-1000

Omaha Online

City of Omaha Home Page. Available www.ci.omaha.ne.us

Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Available www.accessomaha.com

Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau. Available www.visitomaha.com

Omaha by Design community development home page. Available www.livelyomaha.org

Omaha Public Library. Available www.omaha.lib.ne.us

Omaha Public Schools. Available www.ops.org

Omaha World-Herald. Available www.omaha.com

Selected Bibliography

Crary, Margaret, Susette La Flesche: Voice of the Omaha Indians (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1973)

Larsen, Lawrence H., and Barbara J. Cottrell, The Gate City: A History of Omaha (University of Nebraska Press, 1997)

Menard, Orville D., Political Bossism in Mid America: Tom Dennison's Omaha, 1900–1933 (University Press of America, 1989)

Oursler, Fulton, Father Flanagan of Boys Town, by Fulton Oursler and Will Oursler (New York: Doubleday, 1949)

Omaha

The City in Brief

Founded: 1854 (incorporated 1857)

Head Official: Mayor Mike Fahey (D) (since 2001)

City Population

1980: 314,255

1990: 344,463

2000: 390,007

2003 estimate: 404,267

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.2%

U.S. rank in 1980: 48th

U.S. rank in 1990: 48th

U.S. rank in 2000: 53rd

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 585,122

1990: 618,262

2000: 716,998

Percent change, 1990–2000: 16.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 57th

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: 60th

Area: 118.88 square miles (2000)

Elevation: ranges from 965 to 1,300 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 52° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 30 inches of rain; 32 inches of snow

Major Economic Sectors: Services, wholesale and retail trade, government, manufacturing

Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (February 2005)

Per Capita Income: $21,756 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 28,781

Major Colleges and Universities: University of Nebraska at Omaha, Creighton University, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Daily Newspaper: The Omaha World-Herald

Omaha: Transportation

Approaching the City

The terminal at Eppley Airfield, four miles northeast of downtown Omaha, is served by nine national air carriers and three regional airlines with direct flights to most major United States cities and connecting flights to points throughout the world. Located on 2,650 square feet of land, it served nearly four million passengers in 2004. Four general aviation airports in the metropolitan area are open to the public.

Principal highway routes providing access to the Omaha metropolitan area are I-80 and I-29; U.S. 6, 30, 75, and 275; and Nebraska 36, 38, 50, 64, 85, 92, 131, 133, and 370.

Traveling in the City

Omaha's streets are arranged in a grid pattern, with Dodge Street dividing the city into north and south sectors. Streets running north-south are numbered; east-west streets are named. Public bus transportation is provided by Metro Area Transit (MAT), which operates routes in Omaha, Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Papillion, Ralston, Boys Town, Carter Lake, La Vista, and Northeast Sarpy County. MAT schedules morning and evening express service; reduced fares for students and senior and handicapped passengers are available.

Omaha: Health Care

The health care industry, which consists of nine hospitals, several clinics, and a number of other medical facilities, is one of Omaha's largest employers. The city is a center for medical education and research, with medical schools at Creighton University and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a dental school, and a number of schools of nursing.

St. Joseph Hospital is the teaching hospital for the Creighton University School of Medicine, specializing in renal dialysis, metabolic research, cardiac diagnosis and treatment, and cancer care. Adjacent to St. Joseph is the Boys Town National Research Hospital, a national diagnostic, treatment, and research facility for children with hearing, speech, or learning disorders. The University of Nebraska Medical Center, the teaching hospital for the University of Nebraska School of Medicine, operates units for pediatric cardiology, cancer therapy, and high-risk newborn care, and a pain rehabilitation institute.

Omaha: Introduction

Omaha, the seat of Douglas County, is the focus of a metropolitan statistical area that includes Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, and Washington counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa. The city's development as a railroad center was augmented by the Union Stockyards and the meat-packing industry. Throughout its history Omaha has benefited from the civic commitment of its citizens. Father Edward J. Flanagan's establishment of Boys Town in the Omaha area brought national recognition to the plight of homeless children. Today, Omaha is an insurance and telecommunications center, home to the U.S. Air Force Strategic Command, and notable for its inexpensive housing, good schools, and relatively few social and environmental problems. The downtown is vibrant and growing and the business climate is thriving as recognized by Forbes magazine's 11th-place ranking in its "Best City for Business and Careers" list in 2004.

Omaha: Municipal Government

The city of Omaha operates under a mayor-council form of government. The mayor, who does not serve on the council, and seven council members are all elected to four-year terms.

Head Official: Mayor Mike Fahey (D) (since 2001; current term expires 2009)

Total Number of City Employees: 2,800 (2003)

City Information: Mayor's Office, 1819 Farnam St., Ste. 300, Omaha, NE 68183; telephone (402)444-5000; email mfahey@ci.omaha.ne.us

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