By: Ryan Duey

Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.3% in September, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Labor.

The unemployment rate in Clay County fell 1.4%, from 4.3% in August to 2.9% in September. The jobless rate dropped significantly in Dickinson County from 6% to 3.1%. Cloud County saw a drop of almost a full percent, from 4.1% to 3.2%. Marshall County showed a small drop from 3.1% in August to 2.5% in September. Republic County dropped from 3% to 2.4% in a month. Washington County also saw a small drop in from 2.8% to 2.2%.

Labor Economist, Emilie Doerksen said, “The Kansas unemployment rate held steady at 3.3% in September.” The labor force participation rate was also unchanged over the month at 66.2%, significantly higher than the U.S. rate of 62.7%.”

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.