Kansas unemployment steady while Nebraska, Missouri see positive change

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A new report has found that Kansas has held steady in its unemployment rate as Nebraska and Missouri both see positive changes.

With inflation remaining high in the U.S. and 311,000 jobs gained in February - fewer than the previous month - personal finance website WalletHub.com says on Friday, March 24, it released its updated report on Changes in Unemployment Rate by State.

To take stock of how rates change state-by-state, WalletHub said it compared all 50 states and Washington, D.C., based on six key dates comparable to the most recent data available from February 2023.

The report found Kansas’ unemployment rate remains steady ranked 24th overall with a February 2023 unemployment rate of 2.9%. That is a 1% change from January 2023 and an 18.4% change from February 2022. However, the rate is 5.3% lower than it was in February 2020 and 7.6% lower than in February 2019.

Nebraska saw the fourth most change in the nation with an unemployment rate of 2.3%. That is 7% lower than in January 2023, 21.1% lower than in February 2020 and 21.1% lower than in February 2019. The rate remains 10.5% higher than it was in February 2022.

Missouri quickly followed Nebarska in fifth place with an unemployment rate of 2.6% in February 2023. That is 2.7% lower than in January 2023, 30.3% lower than in February 2022, 22.2% lower than in February 2020 and 17.4% lower than in February 2019.

Oklahoma ranked 22nd overall with an unemployment rate of 3%. That is 2.3% lower than in January 2023, 1.1% lower than in February 2020 and 0.3% lower than in February 2019. The rate remains 17.3% higher than it was in February 2022.

Lastly, Colorado came in at 26th overall with an unemployment rate of 2.9% for February 2023. That is 27.1% lower than it was in February 2020. However, the rate remains 2.5% higher than it was in January, 7.9% higher than it was in February 2020 and 7% higher than it was in February 2019.

The report also found that Nebraska had the largest decrease between January and February 2023. Missouri saw the third largest decrease from February 2022 to February 2023 while Oklahoma saw the fifth smallest decrease and Kansas saw the fourth smallest. Nebraska also saw the third lowest unemployment rate for February 2023.

The states that saw the largest change in unemployment are:

1. Alabama
2. South Dakota
3. Montana
4. Nebraska
5. Missouri

The locations that saw the smallest change are:

1. Nevada
2. Oregon
3. Delaware
4. Washington
5. Washington, D.C.

For more information or to see where other states fall, click HERE.

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