The unemployment rate increased during July in Kansas City, Kan., and Wyandotte County, according to figures released by the Kansas Department of Labor.
The unemployment rate rose to 6.9 percent in July in Kansas City, Kan., as compared to 6.5 percent in June, according to KDOL statistics. It was still under the July 2014 unemployment rate of 7.9 percent in Kansas City, Kan.
Wyandotte County had a similar unemployment rate, 6.8 percent in July as compared to 6.4 percent in June. One year ago, it was 7.7 percent.
In Wyandotte County, there were 5,247 persons counted as unemployed in July, and 4,851 persons listed as unemployed in Kansas City, Kan., according to the statistics. There were 71,440 persons employed in Wyandotte County in July, and 65,378 persons employed in Kansas City, Kan.
Kansas City, Kan., had the second highest unemployment rate of the larger cities in Kansas, according to KDOL statistics. The highest unemployment rate was in Junction City, Kan., at 7.3 percent. That figure represented 663 persons listed as unemployed. Wichita had a 6.1 percent unemployment rate, representing 11,408 persons who were unemployed.
The Wyandotte County unemployment rate was significantly higher than the state of Kansas unemployment rate of 5.1 percent, or 4.6 percent when seasonally adjusted.
The state’s seasonally adjusted rate was up in July from the previous month’s 4.5 percent and up from 4.4 percent a year ago, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.
Despite the decline and mixed results on estimates job growth in 2015, a Kansas labor economist stated that there was a 12-month growth rate of 1.3 percent through July in the Kansas private sector.