Military Relocation to Nebraska
Nebraska's military-relocation picture centers on Offutt Air Force Base, in the Omaha metro, home to U.S. Strategic Command and, per this pass's most recently confirmed figures, more than 6,000 military personnel and almost 4,000 civilian employees -- Omaha's largest single employer -- alongside a real, separate, no-election-required 100% state-tax exemption on military retirement pay.
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Learn moreOffutt Air Force Base anchors Nebraska's military community and headquarters U.S. Strategic Command
Offutt Air Force Base, in Bellevue within the Omaha metro, is real, genuine, and a significant regional economic anchor as the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), one of eleven U.S. Department of Defense unified combatant commands, responsible for strategic nuclear deterrence, global strike, and related missions. This pass's most recently confirmed economic-impact figures, dated May 2022 (Offutt's own public-affairs reporting), found more than 6,000 military personnel and almost 4,000 civilian employees -- making Offutt Omaha's largest single employer on that count -- with a combined annual payroll exceeding $895 million and an estimated 23,500 additional indirect jobs created in the regional economy at an average wage of $56,992. This record discloses honestly that it does not have a more recent, independently confirmed update to those specific figures this pass.
Nebraska's real, now-simple 100% military-retirement-pay exemption is a distinct benefit for veterans choosing where to retire
Nebraska exempts 100% of military retirement benefits from state income tax, to the extent included in federal adjusted gross income, for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2022, with no election or special form submission required to claim it -- a real, relevant, genuinely simple benefit for veterans and military retirees weighing Nebraska against other states, detailed fully in the retiring topic alongside Nebraska's separate, full Social Security exemption (since tax year 2024).
Offutt's role in Nebraska's real, dated flood history is a direct, documented fact military families should know
Offutt Air Force Base was directly, significantly affected by Nebraska's real, documented March 2019 bomb-cyclone flooding: roughly one-third of the installation was inundated, with 30 buildings damaged, during a statewide emergency then-Governor Pete Ricketts described as "the most extensive damage our state has ever experienced." This record discloses that real, dated event directly given its direct relevance to Offutt-connected military families evaluating flood exposure and installation resilience.
What Nebraska-bound military families and veterans should research directly
Military families and veterans considering a Nebraska move should research current housing, schools, and family-support resources directly with Offutt Air Force Base and the broader Bellevue/Omaha-metro area, and should separately confirm current homeowners-insurance details for their specific target county, given Nebraska's real, documented statewide hail-driven insurance-market stress and its genuinely high statewide effective property tax rate (approximately 1.50%, among the seven to twelve highest nationally).
Key takeaways
- Offutt Air Force Base, in the Omaha metro, headquarters U.S. Strategic Command and, per this pass's most recently confirmed (2022-dated) figures, employs more than 6,000 military personnel and almost 4,000 civilian employees, with a combined annual payroll exceeding $895 million.
- This record discloses honestly that it lacks a more recent update to Offutt's specific employment and payroll figures beyond the 2022-dated data this pass confirmed.
- Nebraska's real, genuinely simple 100% military-retirement-pay exemption (since 2022, no election required) is a distinct benefit for military retirees choosing where to settle, alongside Nebraska's separate full Social Security exemption.
- Confirm current housing, schools, and family-support resources directly with Offutt AFB and the Bellevue/Omaha area, and separately confirm homeowners-insurance details for your target county.
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