Manhattan-Area Unemployment Rate Drops in September

RILEY COUNTY — The unemployment rate in the Manhattan area fell to 3.5% in September, down from 4.2% in August, according to new data released by the Kansas Department of Labor. The improvement means the region's jobless rate now sits below both the statewide average of 3.8% and the national rate of 4.4%.

Riley County saw an even steeper decline, with unemployment dropping to 3.3% in September from 3.9% the previous month. The city of Manhattan posted the lowest rate in the area at 3.1%, down from 3.6% in August. While all three measurements remain slightly higher than their September 2024 levels — when the Manhattan area was at 3.2%, Riley County at 3.0%, and the city at 2.7% — the month-over-month improvements suggest the local job market is strengthening as the fall season progresses.

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.