OMAHA- A new Census-based report conducted by the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, which utilized federal survey and other data, revealed that housing, or the challenge of finding it, has become the top reason Nebraskans are leaving the state. Previously, jobs were the top reason.

"That's shocking," said Josie Schafer, who heads the research center, "I was the one saying, 'It's about jobs, it's about jobs, it's about jobs'." Schafer said that, over the years, she had previously and repeatedly told state lawmakers that jobs were the single biggest influencer of out-of-state flow. Such was the case in 2021, when a federal survey showed that nearly 35% of those who moved out of state identified a job as the main reason who leaving, compared to 18% who cited housing.

In contrast, the report from 2022 showed only 12% identified a job as being the primary factor in their relocation, while 34% shared that housing was the driving factor. "The winds have changed," said Schafer. Schafer said she sees these findings as a big red flag, and that she will work to alert state lawmakers so they can quickly get a better grip on housing conditions in the state.

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