KDOL
The Ellis County unemployment rate was up slightly to 3.7% in August— up .1% from July and up .2% from June
Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information (LMI) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.8% statewide in August. This is unchanged from 3.8% in July and an increase from 3.7% in August 2025. The labor force participation rate for Kansas decreased to 66.6% in August.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 1,900 from July. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 1,700 over the month, while government increased by 200. The largest job gains in the private sector were in trade, transportation and utilities (+900 jobs). The largest decrease was in leisure and hospitality (-1,000 jobs).
Since August 2025 Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 7,300. This change is due to an increase of 10,800 private sector jobs and a decrease of 3,500 government jobs.
Technical Note: This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for August 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 August 12.