Hutchinson Area Unemployment Rate Improves in September

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson area's unemployment rate improved in September, dropping to 3.8% as more residents found work compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Kansas Department of Labor.

The Hutchinson micro area, which includes all of Reno County, had 1,153 people looking for work in September out of a total workforce of 30,265 people. That's down from August when the unemployment rate stood at 4.7%. The city of Hutchinson itself saw similar improvement, with its unemployment rate falling to 3.9% in September from 4.9% the previous month. About 19,715 city residents were in the workforce, with 763 actively seeking employment.

The local jobless rate matched the statewide average of 3.8% for Kansas in September and was slightly better than the national rate. Compared to a year ago, the area's unemployment rate increased slightly from 3.5% in September 2024. Employment in the Hutchinson micro area grew to 29,112 workers in September, an increase from the previous month. The improvement reflects broader trends across Kansas, where most metropolitan and smaller city areas also saw unemployment rates decline from August to September.

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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