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 3.9% in January. This is an increase from 3.8% in December and an increase from 3.8% in January 2025. The labor force participation rate for Kansas decreased to 67.9% in January, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Labor.
The unemployment rate in Barton County jumped from 3.7 in December to 4.8 in January. The rate is also up in Rush, Pawnee and Russell counties.
Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 1,900 from December. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 800 over the month, while government increased by 1,100. The largest job gains in the private sector were in professional and business services (+1,100 jobs). The largest decreases were in construction (-600 jobs) and financial activities (-600 jobs).
Since January 2025 Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 6,900. This change is due to an increase of 5,200 private sector jobs and an increase of 1,700 government jobs.
Technical Note:This release includes nonfarm jobs and labor force estimates for January 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 January 12.