Kansas City jobless rate was 4.2 percent in October

The Kansas City metro area scored a low unemployment rate of 4.2 percent in October, according to estimates published Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That compared with a national jobless rate, also figured on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, of 4.8 percent in that month.

The Labor Department said payroll employment in the Kansas City area stood at 1,048,100 in October 2015, up by 18,800 jobs, or 1.8 percent from October 2014. The metro area lagged the 2 percent national job creation rate over the 12 months.

For the metro area, the Missouri side, representing 56 percent of the workforce, added 14,000 jobs for a growth rate of 2.5 percent over the year. The Kansas side gained 4,800 jobs, for a 1 percent growth rate over the period.

Local job gains were particularly strong in the health services and education and the financial activities sectors. Most other local job sectors did not gain employment as quickly as national averages.

One local sector that lost jobs over the year was manufacturing, which shed 1,000 jobs, or 1.4 percent of payroll positions, according to bureau data.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Kansas City jobless rate was 4.2 percent in October."