Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Wichita, KS MSA — September 2026
Wichita's labor market runs tighter than national headlines suggest.
Sedgwick County unemployment held at 3.1% in August against a 4.2% national rate and 3.8% statewide, even as Kansas labor force participation of 67.4% continues to outpace the 61.8% U.S. figure.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Sedgwick County unemployment: 3.1% — vs 3.8% Kansas, 4.2% U.S. (August 2026)
- Kansas labor force participation: 67.4% — vs 61.8% U.S.; down 1% YoY statewide
- Kansas WARN notices, trailing 90 days: 0 — vs elevated national WARN activity in 2026
- National payroll growth, September: 29,000 — Well below 45,000 12-month average
Key takeaways
County-level data tells a tighter story than MSA figures suggest.
Sedgwick County's 3.1% unemployment rate in August runs well below both the lagged MSA reading near 4.3%-4.6% and the 3.8% state rate, a divergence likely reflecting data timing rather than a sudden labor market shift. Leaders citing metro conditions publicly should flag which geography and vintage they're using.
Manufacturing remains Kansas's relative bright spot.
Goods-producing sectors anchored by Garmin, Honeywell, and Panasonic-linked activity are outperforming national manufacturing trends even as national payrolls cooled to 29,000 jobs added in September. Stable advertised pay for production workers ($36,695 metro median) alongside this sector strength is consistent with steady, not surging, local demand.
Participation gap may be masking a tighter labor pool than headlines show.
Kansas's 67.4% labor force participation rate towers over the 61.8% national figure, yet it has still declined 1% year-over-year statewide. A shrinking labor pool even from a position of relative strength could constrain how quickly the local economy can scale output if demand accelerates.
Wage gains concentrate in health care and skilled trades, not across the board.
Registered nurse pay rose significantly to $105,577 locally and electrician and HVAC technician pay posted moderate gains, while software engineering and data engineer pay fell. The pattern echoes the national split between hands-on and white-collar wage momentum, suggesting Wichita's wage story is sector-specific rather than metro-wide.
Median advertised pay by role — Wichita, KS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $23,647 | $28,188 | $31,698 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,646 | $25,258 | $28,080 | Moderate decline | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,120 | $34,270 | $37,440 | Moderate decline | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $51,176 | $70,687 | $84,799 | Stable | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $24,975 | $30,136 | $35,360 | Moderate decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $31,508 | $37,440 | $39,520 | Stable | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $56,390 | $68,596 | $74,880 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $31,200 | $36,695 | $41,175 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $29,120 | $35,360 | $38,119 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $26,300 | $29,712 | $32,240 | Moderate decline | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,909 | $35,360 | $37,986 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $30,234 | $38,173 | $41,308 | Moderate increase | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $52,555 | $61,514 | $69,659 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $82,198 | $105,577 | $119,655 | Significant increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $109,480 | $140,508 | $162,703 | Moderate decline | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $88,680 | $105,196 | $125,688 | Significant decline | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $52,534 | $61,383 | $68,500 | Stable | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $70,000 | $86,960 | $100,750 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $50,565 | $56,703 | $66,596 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $42,607 | $65,000 | $84,936 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $49,925 | $73,000 | $75,000 | Significant increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $27,534 | $45,017 | $51,626 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $59,987 | $76,619 | $95,816 | Stable | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $66,655 | $69,791 | $78,511 | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $68,273 | $83,788 | $88,897 | Significant increase | $98,279 |
* 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
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $53,327 | Significant increase | Moderate decline |
| Manufacturing | $72,900 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $33,748 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $52,108 | Moderate increase | Stable |
| Information | $119,555 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $57,011 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $71,551 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $87,828 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $30,160 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,463 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Sedgwick County's unemployment rate sits at 3.1% in August 2026, well below both the Kansas statewide rate of 3.8% and the national rate of 4.2%, even as broader MSA-level readings run closer to 4.3%-4.6% on less current data — a gap that points to a labor market tighter than most national coverage would suggest. Kansas manufacturing continues to outperform national trends, supported by Garmin, Honeywell, and Panasonic-linked supplier activity, while statewide labor force participation of 67.4% remains nearly six points above the 61.8% national figure, even as it has drifted down 1% year-over-year.
What it means
Tight county-level unemployment alongside elevated statewide labor force participation suggests Wichita's underlying economic engine is holding up better than national headlines on slowing payroll growth (29,000 jobs added in September) might imply, which matters directly for commerce leaders weighing local expansion or investment timing. Divergent wage signals — strong gains in registered nursing, financial analysis, and operations management against declines in software engineering and data engineering — point to a local economy reallocating toward health care, finance, and skilled trades rather than contracting broadly. Current conditions suggest regional economic development messaging should emphasize labor force participation strength and manufacturing resilience as differentiators relative to national cooling, rather than leaning on unemployment-rate comparisons alone, which can understate local tightness.
Looking ahead
Data lag watch: Official Wichita MSA unemployment figures remain several months behind county-level data, creating a real risk of outdated public claims about metro conditions. Watch for the next BLS MSA release to confirm whether county-level tightness (3.1%) is broadly shared across the metro.
Worth watching: Kansas recorded zero WARN notices in the 90 days ending September 25, a sharp contrast to elevated national WARN activity tied to Amazon, Meta, and other large employers. Sustained absence of local filings would reinforce a stability narrative distinct from national headlines.
Emerging pressure point: Statewide labor force participation has declined for two consecutive years even while remaining well above the national average. Continued erosion could tighten the available labor pool for Wichita's manufacturing and health care sectors precisely as those sectors show hiring momentum.
Policy to monitor: Tariff and immigration enforcement developments remain active national policy threads with direct bearing on manufacturing input costs and labor supply in sectors like agriculture-adjacent manufacturing. Track official federal and state releases rather than secondary commentary as these policies evolve.
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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