May 2026
Released June 23, 2026
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United States
Employment snapshot
In May, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 20, rose in 9, and remained unchanged in 22.
The highest unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2.1 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in May.
In May, payroll jobs rose in 38 states and fell in 13. The largest payroll job percent increase was 1.4 percent in West Virginia. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.5 percent in Montana.
Kansas
Employment snapshot
In May, Kansas added 5,100 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 3.8 percent. In the prior month, Kansas added 5,300 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, Kansas added 7,400 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, or 0.1 percent. Kansas ranks 16th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In May, Kansas’s private sector added 4,600 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 5,200 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Kansas added 5,300 net private payroll jobs.
In May, employment in Kansas fell by 3,926, and over the past 12 months it fell by 5,769.
Kansas’s labor force participation rate fell to 67.2 percent in May from 67.4 percent and is tied for 6th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.6 percentage points.
Kansas
Payroll employment
Kansas added 5,100 net payroll jobs, or 0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during May. In the prior month, Kansas added 5,300 jobs. Kansas nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, or 0.1 percent. Kansas ranks 16th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
Kansas added 4,600 private sector jobs, or 0.4 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during May. In the prior month, Kansas added 5,300 jobs. Kansas private sector payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 120,000 jobs in May, or 0.1 percent. Kansas is tied for 21st in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.
From April 2026 to May 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Leisure and Hospitality (+2,100) and Construction (+1,500).
- The worst performing sectors were Other Services (-600) and Information (-200).
From May 2025 to May 2026:
- The best performing sectors were State and Local Government (+4,500) and Private Education and Health Services (+3,100).
- The worst performing sectors were Federal Government (-2,300) and Other Services (-1,900).
Kansas
Labor force
The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.
The labor force participation rate in Kansas fell to 67.2 percent in May from 67.4 percent in the prior month.
Kansas is tied for 6th in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Kansas was 68 percent occurring in August 2025, and the 10-year low was 66.3 percent in April 2020.
The national labor force participation rate remained steady at 61.8 percent in May.