Kansas Department of Labor
The Ellis County unemployment rate was reported as 2.5% for December, for the second month in a row.
All northwest Kansas counties were below 4%, except for Osborne County, which reported 4.9% in December.
Many counties in the area are reporting less than 3% unemployment, with Sheridan County at the lowest at 1.9%
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 3.8% in December statewide. This is unchanged from 3.8% in November and unchanged from 3.8% in December 2024. The labor force participation rate for Kansas increased to 67.5% in December.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 4,500 from November. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs decreased by 5,000 over the month, while government jobs increased by 500. The largest job gains in the private sector were in financial activities (+600 jobs). The largest decrease was in trade, transportation, and utilities (-2,100 jobs).
Since December 2024, Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have decreased by 1,400. This change is due to an increase of 400 private sector jobs and a decrease of 1,800 government jobs.
Technical Note: This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for December 2025, 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 December 12.