Home / Wages / Grand Island Grand Island salaries The median worker in the Grand Island, NE metro area earned $48,660 a year in 2024, about $23.40 an hour. That ranks #111 of the 391 metro areas published here, 1.7% below the national median.
Nebraska
Median pay $48,660 $23.40 per hour
Vs national -1.7% U.S. $49,500
Workers 39,520 wage and salary
Metro rank #111 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Grand Island pays 1.4% more than Nebraska as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1.81× 960 $59,690 Nursing Assistants 1.75× 620 $38,280 Fast Food and Counter Workers 1.3× 1,260 $29,480 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1.3× 580 $43,180 Retail Salespersons 1.08× 1,050 $30,120 Cashiers 1.07× 860 $29,480 Stockers and Order Fillers 1.07× 770 $33,920 Registered Nurses 0.98× 830 $79,940 General and Operations Managers 0.88× 810 $76,680 Waiters and Waitresses 0.86× 510 $35,790 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 0.85× 650 $44,530
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Grand Island Occupation Median Hourly Employed Registered Nurses $79,940 $38.43 830 General and Operations Managers $76,680 $36.87 810 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $68,890 $33.12 420 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $65,750 $31.61 210 Accountants and Auditors $65,430 $31.46 300 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $62,510 n/a 390 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $62,410 $30.01 410 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $62,140 n/a 390 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $60,360 $29.02 220 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $59,690 $28.70 960 Human Resources Specialists $59,540 $28.62 210 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists $59,340 $28.53 220 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $58,900 $28.32 290 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $54,470 $26.19 490 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $52,520 $25.25 460 Electricians $51,140 $24.59 220 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders $51,080 $24.56 360 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $50,430 $24.24 410 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $50,030 $24.05 280 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $49,930 $24.00 220 Carpenters $49,110 $23.61 250 Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment $48,960 $23.54 450 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers $48,880 $23.50 200 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $46,970 $22.58 420 Light Truck Drivers $46,280 $22.25 220 Construction Laborers $45,130 $21.70 410 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $44,530 $21.41 650 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $43,730 $21.02 350 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $43,180 $20.76 580 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $39,450 $18.97 330 Customer Service Representatives $38,980 $18.74 380 Nursing Assistants $38,280 $18.41 620 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $38,220 $18.38 350 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,030 $17.80 210 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $36,690 $17.64 440 Office Clerks, General $36,510 $17.55 410 Receptionists and Information Clerks $36,440 $17.52 220 Waiters and Waitresses $35,790 $17.21 510 Cooks, Restaurant $35,380 $17.01 210 Stockers and Order Fillers $33,920 $16.31 770 Home Health and Personal Care Aides $33,810 $16.25 310 Food Preparation Workers $31,200 $15.00 270 Retail Salespersons $30,120 $14.48 1,050 Fast Food and Counter Workers $29,480 $14.18 1,260 Cashiers $29,480 $14.17 860 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $29,340 $14.11 230 Driver/Sales Workers $28,830 $13.86 220 Childcare Workers $28,160 $13.54 250 Bartenders $27,810 $13.37 240 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $24,960 n/a 420
Where most people work Largest occupations in Grand Island by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Fast Food and Counter Workers 1,260 $29,480 $14.18 Retail Salespersons 1,050 $30,120 $14.48 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 960 $59,690 $28.70 Cashiers 860 $29,480 $14.17 Registered Nurses 830 $79,940 $38.43 General and Operations Managers 810 $76,680 $36.87 Stockers and Order Fillers 770 $33,920 $16.31 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 650 $44,530 $21.41 Nursing Assistants 620 $38,280 $18.41 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 580 $43,180 $20.76 Waiters and Waitresses 510 $35,790 $17.21 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 490 $54,470 $26.19 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 460 $52,520 $25.25 Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment 450 $48,960 $23.54 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 440 $36,690 $17.64 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 420 $24,960 n/a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 420 $46,970 $22.58 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 420 $68,890 $33.12 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 410 $62,410 $30.01 Office Clerks, General 410 $36,510 $17.55
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Nebraska metro areas Grand Island pay: common questions What is the average salary in Grand Island? The median across all occupations is $48,660 , or $23.40 an hour, covering 39,520 wage and salary workers. The mean is $55,670, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Grand Island pay more than the rest of Nebraska? Yes. The metro median of $48,660 is 1.4% above the Nebraska median of $47,990. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Grand Island? Registered Nurses ($79,940), General and Operations Managers ($76,680), First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers ($68,890). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Grand Island unusually full of? Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, at 1.81× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.