Lyon County unemployment at 5% in March, above state rate

The Kansas Department of Labor released its March 2026 labor report Friday, with Lyon County reporting an even 5% unemployment rate.

That figure is tied with Greenwood County for the sixth-highest unemployment rate in the state, behind Woodson, Wilson, Chautauqua, Bourbon and Linn counties.

Statewide, preliminary estimates from the Labor Market Information division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.9% in March, unchanged from February and up from 3.8% in March 2025.

The unemployment rate in Lyon County has been volatile over the past 18 months, increasing until it reached a peak of 6% in July 2025 before declining in September and November 2025 to a low of 3.9%.

The rate began to rise again, reaching 5.4% in February 2026. The March 2026 rate represents a 0.4 percentage point decrease.

The volatility in unemployment rates may be tied to ongoing business closures and efforts by local officials to help displaced workers find jobs.

As Lyon County has responded to changes involving major employers such as Tyson Foods and Thermal Ceramics, new closures, including Hopkins Manufacturing, which resulted in the loss of approximately 130 jobs in the county at the end of February, may begin to affect the county's unemployment rate.

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