Counties with the highest unemployment in Kansas
The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.
The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.
Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates Kansas, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 2024, 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 reveals cooling labor market
January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.
Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.
"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."
Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.
The big story: Potential for economic headwinds grows
Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.
"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.
Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.
Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.
Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Kansas.
50. Riley County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,695 people (1,060 unemployed)
43. Sherman County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,818 people (89 unemployed)
43. Doniphan County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,145 people (131 unemployed)
43. Decatur County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,231 people (40 unemployed)
43. Franklin County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,047 people (489 unemployed)
43. Edwards County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,459 people (46 unemployed)
43. Shawnee County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 94,803 people (3,009 unemployed)
43. Miami County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,484 people (586 unemployed)
33. Barton County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,594 people (418 unemployed)
33. Osage County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,348 people (273 unemployed)
33. Ness County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,350 people (44 unemployed)
33. Graham County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,208 people (40 unemployed)
33. Greenwood County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,255 people (109 unemployed)
33. Leavenworth County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,290 people (1,272 unemployed)
33. Clay County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,815 people (127 unemployed)
33. Rush County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,657 people (55 unemployed)
33. Labette County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,538 people (311 unemployed)
33. Brown County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,661 people (153 unemployed)
30. Chase County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,251 people (42 unemployed)
30. Marion County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,006 people (206 unemployed)
30. Kingman County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,415 people (115 unemployed)
26. Montgomery County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,823 people (517 unemployed)
26. Jewell County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,267 people (44 unemployed)
26. Reno County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,370 people (1,034 unemployed)
26. Butler County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,405 people (1,155 unemployed)
24. Sumner County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,045 people (402 unemployed)
24. Lyon County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,856 people (606 unemployed)
21. Crawford County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,931 people (701 unemployed)
21. Cloud County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,799 people (139 unemployed)
21. Ottawa County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,189 people (117 unemployed)
18. Sedgwick County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 260,254 people (9,982 unemployed)
18. Chautauqua County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,408 people (53 unemployed)
18. Allen County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,175 people (232 unemployed)
15. Coffey County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,624 people (143 unemployed)
15. Osborne County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,877 people (73 unemployed)
15. Cowley County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,562 people (614 unemployed)
14. Wyandotte County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 80,010 people (3,225 unemployed)
13. Atchison County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,964 people (293 unemployed)
10. Harvey County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,684 people (761 unemployed)
10. Saline County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: +1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,497 people (1,323 unemployed)
10. Wilson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,698 people (160 unemployed)
9. Neosho County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,230 people (275 unemployed)
8. Linn County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,523 people (208 unemployed)
6. Geary County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,049 people (549 unemployed)
6. Woodson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,504 people (75 unemployed)
5. Russell County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: +2.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +3.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,383 people (180 unemployed)
3. Bourbon County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +2.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,990 people (327 unemployed)
3. Dickinson County (tie)
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +2.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +3.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,136 people (507 unemployed)
2. Ellsworth County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: +2.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +4.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,711 people (166 unemployed)
1. Lincoln County
December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: +4.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +5.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,743 people (121 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.
