The local economy of Kansas and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.8%
+0.1 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Sheridan County 2.9%, highest Bourbon County 6.3%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,286
+3.1%vs a year ago
1,425,330 jobs at 102,222 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
12,159
+34.6%this year vs last year
Most in Johnson County 4,396, Sedgwick County 3,649.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-4,059
-1.7 per 1,000residents
71,876 moved in and 75,935 moved out. Most newcomers came from Missouri.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Kansas gas price
$4.04
+$1.25vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Republic County $3.80, highest Lincoln County $4.60. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Kansas, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
76K
+0.2%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
1.25M
+1.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (15.8%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$71.1B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$56,950
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $122,673.
Per employee per year
Share of Kansas's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 101,514 | $19,842 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 57,406 | $69,302 |
| Employment Services | 51,453 | $46,453 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 27,939 | $91,136 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 25,371 | $30,179 |
| Grocery Stores | 23,754 | $25,377 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 23,542 | $70,867 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 22,458 | $122,673 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 21,354 | $69,558 |
| Offices of Physicians | 21,203 | $98,998 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 20,919 | $43,274 |
| Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 19,571 | $60,595 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Kansas, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Kansas is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Kansas, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Kansas was 3.8% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.7% a year earlier. 1,494,369 people were employed out of a labor force of 1,553,281. Among its counties, Sheridan County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Bourbon County the highest (6.3%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Kansas was $1,286 in Q1 2026, up 3.1% from a year earlier, across 1,425,330 jobs at 102,222 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 882 new homes in Kansas in August 2026 (607 single-family and 111 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 9,037, up 34.6% from the same months last year, and 12,159 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Johnson County (4,396), Sedgwick County (3,649), Wyandotte County (552) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 71,876 people moved to Kansas and 75,935 moved away, a net loss of 4,059 (-1.7 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Missouri, Texas, Colorado, and most people who left went to Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma.
Regular gasoline in Kansas averaged $4.04 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.25 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.97. Among its counties, Republic County had the lowest regular price ($3.80) and Lincoln County the highest ($4.60).
Health Care and Social Assistance (197,779 employees), Manufacturing (170,492 employees), Retail Trade (144,418 employees) were the largest sectors in Kansas in 2023. In all, 76,139 business locations employed 1,248,825 people at an average pay of $56,950 a year.