Gov. Laura Kelly today announced that Kansas hit the lowest unemployment rate in the state’s recorded history, at 2.3%.
Unemployment continues to decline in the state, even as the unemployment rate nationally holds flat. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kansas has the sixth lowest unemployment rate in the country relative to other states.
“My administration has worked to ensure that every Kansan who wants a job, can have a job,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “I’m proud that we have achieved the lowest unemployment rate in our state’s history at 2.3%, over a full percentage point below the nation’s unemployment rate. We will continue breaking economic records by prioritizing job creation, business investment, and workforce development.”
Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 2.3% in May, a decrease from 2.4% in April and a decrease from 3.4% this time last year. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in the United States as a whole has remained at 3.6% for three consecutive months, a rate significantly higher than Kansas estimates.
Kansas began keeping records of monthly unemployment rates in January 1976.
Since the start of the Kelly administration, Kansas has secured 654 economic development projects worth $8,943,214,898.00 in capital investment and has retained and created 43,111 jobs.
According to Kansas Department of Labor statistics, the Wyandotte County unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in May 2022 as compared to 2.9 percent in April 2022. The May 2022 rate represents 2,525 persons who are unemployed. One year ago, in May 2021, the Wyandotte County unemployment rate was 5.3 percent.
The Kansas City, Kansas, unemployment rate was 3.3 percent in May 2022 as compared to 2.9 percent in April 2022. The May 2022 rate represents 2,349 persons who are unemployed. In May 2021, the unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in Kansas City, Kansas.