Midwest region · state data

Kansas unemployment rate and jobs

Kansas's unemployment rate was 3.8% in Sep 2026, 0.4 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. The rate was unchanged from a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

3.8%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-0.4 pt

A year earlier

3.8%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

25th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

1.47 million

Job growth, 12 months

+0.3%

Record low rate

2.6% (Apr 2022)

Unemployment rate: Kansas vs. the U.S.

3.8% Sep 2026 · Percent

Kansas unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Kansas data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How Kansas compares

In Sep 2026, Kansas had the 25th lowest rate of the 51 states and DC. Across the 12 states in the Midwest region, the simple average was 3.5%, so Kansas was 0.3 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Kansas's rate has ranged from a low of 2.6% in Apr 2022 to a high of 12.1% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 3.1%, 0.7 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 3.8% and was above the national rate in 0 of them.

Jobs in Kansas

Employers in Kansas reported 1.47 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 4,100 more than a year earlier (+0.3%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 31st of 51. The record high was 1.47 million in Aug 2026. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 2.9%.

1,469.4K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in Kansas
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	3.8%	4.2%	1.47 million	-2,100
Aug 2026	3.8%	4.1%	1.47 million	+1,100
Jul 2026	3.8%	4.1%	1.47 million	+400
Jun 2026	3.8%	4.2%	1.47 million	+1,100
May 2026	3.8%	4.3%	1.47 million	+4,200
Apr 2026	3.9%	4.3%	1.46 million	+5,300
Mar 2026	3.9%	4.3%	1.46 million	-1,800
Feb 2026	3.9%	4.4%	1.46 million	-4,400
Jan 2026	3.9%	4.3%	1.47 million	+1,400
Dec 2025	3.8%	4.4%	1.46 million	-1,400
Nov 2025	3.8%	4.5%	1.47 million	+300
Sep 2025	3.8%	4.4%	1.47 million	+300

Record high unemployment rate: 12.1% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Rhode Island · 3.6%Virginia · 3.6%Arkansas · 3.9%Maryland · 3.9%

Other Midwest states

Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate in Kansas [KSUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KSUR, Oct 27, 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Kansas [KSNA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KSNA, Oct 27, 2026.
View KSUR on FRED® · View KSNA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment

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