Kansas Department of Labor
The Ellis County unemployment rate dropped from 3% in August to 2.4% in September.
Trego County's jobless rate also dropped slightly to 3.5%, and Rooks County's rate fell almost a percentage point to 3.2% from 4.3% in August.
Unemployment rates for most of the region remain below 4%, with the exception of Decatur County. Many of the region's counties have very low jobless rates at less than 3%.
Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state of 3.3% in September. This is unchanged from 3.3% in August and an increase from 2.6% in September 2023.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2,700 from August. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 800 over the month, while government increased by 1,900.
Since September 2023 Kansas' seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 19,200. This change is due to an increase of 16,500 private sector jobs and an increase of 2,700 government jobs.