The January unemployment rate for Ellis County was up by .7% compared to December, according to the Kansas Department of Labor report released today.
The jobs reports have been delayed because of the federal government shutdown.
The jobless rates across the northwest Kansas region varied from 2.6% in Sheridan County to 4.9% in Graham County.
Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.9% in January statewide.
This is an increase from 3.8% in December and an increase from 3.8% in January 2025. The labor force participation rate for Kansas decreased to 67.9% in January.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 1,900 from December.
Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 800 over the month, while government jobs increased by 1,100. The largest job gains in the private sector were in professional and business services (+1,100 jobs). The largest decreases were in construction (-600 jobs) and financial activities (-600 jobs).
Since January 2025, Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 6,900. This change is due to an increase of 5,200 private-sector jobs and 1,700 government jobs.
Technical Note: This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for January 2026, which are produced using data from two monthly surveys. Data for nonfarm job estimates is collected through a survey of employers, while the main input for labor force estimates is a survey of households. Data collected for this report references the week including Jan. 12.