Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · August 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: Topeka, KS MSA — August 2026
Topeka wages outrun the state — but not every HR role wins.
Shawnee County wages grew 5.4% year-over-year, outpacing Kansas's statewide 3.8% unemployment plateau, while local HRIS Analyst pay fell to $68,222 against a national median of $95,665.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of August 2026.
Key indicators
- Shawnee County wage growth: 5.4% — vs 4.2% national county average, Q3 2025
- Kansas unemployment rate: 3.8% — Unchanged from July, up from 3.7% a year ago
- Kansas labor force participation: 66.6% — Down from prior months, shrinking applicant pool
- KC Fed labor market momentum: 0.25 — Down from 0.39, signals cooling ahead
Key takeaways
Shawnee County wage growth is outpacing the state, not just keeping up.
5.4% year-over-year wage growth in Q3 2025 led all major Kansas counties, well above the 4.2% national county average. Employers benchmarking against statewide Kansas figures alone may be underpricing roles relative to actual local competition.
HR function pay is splitting into winners and losers locally.
HR Business Partner advertised pay rose significantly to $85,714 while HRIS Analyst pay fell to $68,222 against a national median of $95,665 — a striking local-national divergence. Metro employers may be underinvesting in HR systems talent just as data and automation skills become more central to compensation and workforce planning nationally.
Labor force exodus is quietly tightening the applicant pool.
Kansas labor force participation fell to 66.6% in August even as unemployment held flat, meaning fewer active job seekers are chasing open roles. Retention investment may now deliver better returns than incremental wage increases, particularly given the 31,000 average monthly quits statewide suggest cooling voluntary turnover.
Recruiter pay softening locally cuts against the national grain.
Metro Recruiter advertised pay dropped moderately to $72,830 while national Recruiter pay rose to $67,643, an unusual local premium erosion given Kansas's stated hiring selectivity trend. Consider whether reduced local recruiting spend reflects lower requisition volume or a shift toward internal talent acquisition capacity.
Median advertised pay by role — Topeka, KS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst | $87,957 | $102,806 | $106,294 | Significant decline | $101,055 |
| HR Business Partner | $59,526 | $85,714 | $103,707 | Significant increase | $83,180 |
| Benefits Manager * | $73,839 | $100,564 | $107,952 | Significant increase | $120,000 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $52,818 | $68,222 | $76,195 | Significant decline | $95,665 |
| HR Coordinator | $43,976 | $45,348 | $50,544 | Significant increase | $50,095 |
| Recruiter | $51,868 | $72,830 | $84,000 | Moderate decline | $67,643 |
| Payroll Specialist | $40,862 | $57,200 | $63,438 | Significant increase | $58,266 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Shawnee County's labor market continues to outperform state averages, with unemployment holding near 3.4-3.5% against Kansas's 3.8%, while Q3 2025 wage growth of 5.4% year-over-year — the strongest among Kansas's four largest counties — signals sustained employer competition for talent even as statewide job growth slows to just 7,300 net positions over the year. Trade, transportation and utilities gains statewide (+900 jobs in August) contrast with leisure and hospitality losses (-1,000 jobs), suggesting Topeka's logistics-adjacent employers may be absorbing labor that hospitality can no longer retain at current wage levels.
What it means
Divergent local advertised pay signals — HR Business Partner and Payroll Specialist pay rising sharply while Compensation Analyst and HRIS Analyst pay declines locally even as national demand for those same roles climbs — suggests Topeka employers are recalibrating which HR functions they view as strategic versus commoditized. This selective investment pattern, paired with statewide labor force participation decline to 66.6%, points toward a shrinking, more competitive talent pool for roles employers do prioritize. Consider reviewing which HR positions are seeing local pay compression against national trends, as this may indicate a mismatch between local compensation strategy and the skills actually driving retention risk.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Trade, transportation and utilities added 900 jobs statewide while leisure and hospitality shed 1,000 — watch whether this reallocation shows up in Topeka's logistics and distribution wage postings over the next two months.
Emerging pressure point: Compensation Analyst advertised pay fell significantly in the metro even as national demand holds stable, a divergence worth monitoring for whether Topeka employers are outsourcing comp benchmarking work rather than building it in-house.
Early indicator: Kansas City Fed's labor market momentum indicator dropped from 0.39 to 0.25, a deceleration signal that historically precedes softer local job postings within one to two quarters.
Potential inflection point: Statewide labor force participation decline to 66.6% has no clear reversal signal yet; if it persists into Q4, expect intensified competition for HR Coordinator and Payroll Specialist roles where local pay is already climbing sharply.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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