Kansas Department of Labor
The unemployment rate for Ellis County dipped slightly again in May to 2.7% compared to 2.9% in April. This is below the state average.
Graham County remains at a 4% jobless rate, but Gove County, which was at a 4% rate in April dropped to 3.6% jobless rate in May.
Most of the rest of northwest Kansas remains in the 3% or lower unemployment range.
Statewide 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 May.
This is unchanged from 3.8% in April and an increase from 3.5% in May 2024. The labor force participation rate for Kansas decreased to 67% in May.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 1,800 from April. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers.
Private sector jobs increased by 1,900 over the month, while government decreased by 100. The largest job gains in the private sector were in manufacturing (+1,600 jobs). The largest decrease was in professional and business services (-700 jobs).
Since May 2024 Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 12,500. This change is due to an increase of 2,200 private sector jobs and an increase of 10,300 government jobs.
Technical Note: This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for May 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 May 12.