Counties with the highest unemployment in Kansas

The first jobs report fully under the new Trump administration showed a softening job market, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 4.1% in February, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released March 7.

Job growth increased but fell below expectations, one of several possible fissures appearing in the once rock-solid labor market. Businesses are pulling back on hiring as the economic forecast and policy outlook grow murkier due to volatile trade policies and large cuts to the federal workforce.

Federal government employment fell by 10,000 in February, pushing up total cuts to the federal workforce. In the first two months of 2025, 62,530 federal workers were let go. However, the most recent cuts, including the Department of Education's workforce getting slashed by nearly half, have not yet appeared in official jobs data. Retail employment also fell by 6,000.

The broader unemployment index, known as the U-6, which also includes laborers working part-time because they can't find full-time work, and those who want to work but have given up searching, rose to 8%, its highest since October 2021.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Kansas, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in January 2025, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Key takeaways: Jobs report shows softening labor market

February's job growth of 151,000 fell below economists' expected gains of 160,000, showing the labor market is cooling faster than predicted. Experts say many companies weighing policy changes and economic uncertainty are deciding it's safer to hold off on hiring decisions for now.

"If you were a company and you were saying, 'I'm looking to expand, or I'm looking to hire,' you would have investors in those companies saying, 'Are you crazy?'" Ron Hetrick, senior labor economist at Lightcast, told Marketplace.

Consumer spending fell in January for the first time in two years, which may have led to layoffs or hiring slowdowns, Nela Richardson, ADP's chief economist, told NBC News.

The big story: From bold promises to frozen labor market

After an initial market pop following Trump's electoral win, indexes have slumped to below when he took office, and uncertainty about the future of the markets is a common theme. Are threatened tariffs in place, delayed, reversed, or ramped up? Has that federal worker been fired or given their job back? Are those federal dollars slashed or reinstated? It's a question mark that changes daily.

Research shows that uncertainty invites lower investment, slows employment, and increases financial market volatility. The word "uncertain" showed up 47 times in the March edition of the Beige Book, the Federal Reserve's snapshot of reports from across the nation, compared to 17 times in the previous report from January.

The new administration's blitz of executive orders and trade policy waffling have cast a dense fog over the short-term economic outlook. One thing that is known? Uncertainty isn't good for business planning, job creation, or hiring.

In a March 12 interview with Semafor, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon noted that average consumers likely don't change "what they're going to do because they read about tariffs," but "companies might."

"Uncertainty is not a good thing," Dimon added.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Kansas.

49. Douglas County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 71,013 people (2,468 unemployed)

49. Washington County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,641 people (93 unemployed)

44. Russell County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: -1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,233 people (117 unemployed)

44. Rush County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,677 people (60 unemployed)

44. Rice County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,678 people (170 unemployed)

44. Cherokee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,410 people (341 unemployed)

44. Pottawatomie County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,721 people (489 unemployed)

41. Morris County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,930 people (108 unemployed)

41. Marion County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,212 people (230 unemployed)

41. Dickinson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: -1.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,333 people (349 unemployed)

40. Harper County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,630 people (99 unemployed)

34. Jefferson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,022 people (389 unemployed)

34. Lane County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 673 people (26 unemployed)

34. Reno County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,915 people (1,157 unemployed)

34. Butler County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,898 people (1,358 unemployed)

34. Neosho County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,680 people (296 unemployed)

34. Jewell County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,243 people (49 unemployed)

27. Barton County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,295 people (486 unemployed)

27. Lincoln County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: -2.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,452 people (58 unemployed)

27. Chase County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,098 people (44 unemployed)

27. Montgomery County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,626 people (582 unemployed)

27. Lyon County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,756 people (714 unemployed)

27. Anderson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,754 people (150 unemployed)

27. Labette County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,605 people (387 unemployed)

23. Doniphan County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,842 people (159 unemployed)

23. Harvey County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,839 people (725 unemployed)

23. Jackson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,009 people (290 unemployed)

23. Shawnee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 90,801 people (3,755 unemployed)

21. Miami County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,793 people (787 unemployed)

21. Atchison County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,151 people (340 unemployed)

15. Sumner County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,879 people (464 unemployed)

15. Sedgwick County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 274,918 people (11,938 unemployed)

15. Crawford County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,673 people (841 unemployed)

15. Cowley County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,324 people (659 unemployed)

15. Franklin County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,212 people (613 unemployed)

15. Brown County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,017 people (173 unemployed)

13. Chautauqua County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,405 people (62 unemployed)

13. Allen County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,065 people (266 unemployed)

9. Leavenworth County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 37,580 people (1,688 unemployed)

9. Osage County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,211 people (369 unemployed)

9. Wabaunsee County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +1.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,677 people (166 unemployed)

9. Wilson County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,658 people (166 unemployed)

7. Graham County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,241 people (57 unemployed)

7. Greenwood County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,908 people (133 unemployed)

6. Geary County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,298 people (622 unemployed)

4. Coffey County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,835 people (195 unemployed)

4. Wyandotte County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: +1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,366 people (4,211 unemployed)

3. Woodson County

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,361 people (78 unemployed)

1. Linn County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: +1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,854 people (305 unemployed)

1. Bourbon County (tie)

- January unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,100 people (387 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.