Dickinson County Unemployment Rate Falls Slightly in September

ABILENE, Kan. — Dickinson County's unemployment rate edged down to 3.7 percent in September 2025, according to labor data released this week by the Kansas Department of Labor. The county's jobless rate fell from 4.3 percent in August but remained higher than the same month last year when it stood at 3.2 percent.

The county had 9,399 people in its workforce during September, with 9,054 employed and 345 looking for work. The local unemployment rate came in just above the statewide average of 3.6 percent for Kansas and matched the national trend. For comparison, Kansas' unemployment rate improved from 4.3 percent in August to 3.6 percent in September. Across the state, major metropolitan areas like Wichita and the Kansas portion of Kansas City saw similar unemployment rates of 3.8 percent and 3.7 percent respectively. The data shows unemployment rates typically fluctuate month to month due to seasonal hiring patterns and changes in the number of people actively seeking work.

Due to the lapse in federal funding during the federal government shutdown, all Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) operations were suspended from Oct. 1, 2025, through Nov. 12, 2025. As a result, KDOL will not publish a separate report for the October 2025 Kansas Labor Report. Establishment survey data from the Current Employment Statistics program for October 2025 will be published with the November 2025 data. Household survey data from the Current Population Survey, which serve as the primary input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, were not collected for the October 2025 reference period due to a lapse in appropriations and will not be collected retroactively. 

The November 2025 Kansas Labor Report will be released January 7, 2026. The release schedule for December 2025 has not yet been finalized. We will communicate the date when it becomes available.

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