Salina Unemployment Rate Holds Steady at 3.2 Percent in September
Local job market shows slight improvement from previous month as Kansas economy remains stable
SALINA, Kan. — The Salina area's unemployment rate held steady at 3.2 percent in September, marking a slight improvement from the previous month and matching performance from a year ago, according to new data released by the Kansas Department of Labor. The Salina Micro Area, which includes Saline and Ottawa counties, had 31,391 people employed out of a total workforce of 32,432, leaving 1,041 residents without jobs. The city of Salina specifically reported an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent, with 24,482 people employed and 832 unemployed.
The local unemployment picture compared favorably to both state and national trends. Kansas overall recorded a 3.6 percent unemployment rate in September, while the seasonally adjusted state figure stood at 3.8 percent. Saline County, which makes up the bulk of the Salina Micro Area workforce with 29,383 people in the labor force, matched the micro area's 3.2 percent rate. The September figures showed improvement from August, when the Salina Micro Area's unemployment rate was 3.8 percent. Neighboring communities showed mixed results, with the Wichita metro area at 3.8 percent unemployment and the Manhattan area at 3.5 percent.
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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