American Dream at Risk as 3,200 Nebraska Jobs Vanish

Worshippers shuffled into the basement and sat on folding chairs at St. Ann's Catholic Church in rural Nebraska on a chilly day after Mass, their expressions scarcely concealing the terror that engulfed their community Like the holiday season in Lexington, Nebraska, a pall hovered over the room.They abruptly inform us that there is no more work. "Your entire world is closing in on you," Alejandra Gutierrez remarked. When Lexington's largest employer shuts down its meat plant next month after more than 20 years of operation, she and the others will be among 3,200 workers who will lose their jobs.

Adam Whitmore

Longer lifespans brought on by improved health care and decreased fertility rates are exacerbating America's aging population. The CBO projects that the average life expectancy at birth in the United States will increase from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.2 years in 2055. Additionally, the fertility rate has been steadily declining since the Great Recession in 2008, when it was 2.08, or about the 2.1 rate required for children to numerically replace their parents. In 2025, it reached 1.6.

According to a report released Monday by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, the total number of employment losses is anticipated to approach 7,000, with the majority occurring in Lexington and the surrounding counties. An estimated $241 million in wages and benefits will be lost each year by Tyson employees alone. Following a record low U.S. cow herd and the company's anticipated $600 million loss on beef production in the upcoming fiscal year, Tyson says it is closing the factory in order to "right-size" its beef business.

A Great Plains town where the American Dream was still achievable—where immigrants who didn't speak English and never completed high school purchased homes, reared kids in a secure environment, and sent them to college—is in danger of collapsing due to the plant's shutdown.

Now, thousands of Tyson employees won't have enough money to cover those obligations that are emblematic of economic advancement: mortgages, auto payments, property taxes, and tuition. Sitting between her daughters at St. Ann's church, Gutierrez recounted hearing about the plant shutdown shortly before Thanksgiving while she and her high school senior, Kimberly, were on a college campus. "My daughter said she no longer wanted to study at that moment," Gutierrez recalled. "Because where would we find the funds to cover college expenses?" As Kimberly glanced at her mother and then at her hands, a tear trickled down her cheek.

Jamie Larson

Senior Writer · Investigative Journalism

Jamie writes deep-dive reporting on technology, society and culture. Former editor at independent publications, Jamie focuses on clear storytelling and long-form investigations.

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