{"schema_version": 1, "id": "kansas-city-mo-ks-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 188, "label": "Kansas City, MO-KS MSA", "slug": "kansas-city-mo-ks-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T07:45:14.078252+00:00", "headline": "Kansas City jobs dip, but unemployment and wages stay strong.", "headline_summary": "Kansas City lost an estimated 4,200 jobs in September even as unemployment held at 3.4% and private wages rose roughly 4% year-over-year \u2014 a divergence that points to sector reallocation within the metro.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "3.4%", "context": "vs 3.6% Missouri, 4.1% U.S. (Sept 2026)"}, {"label": "Metro job change, September", "value": "-4,200", "context": "vs St. Louis +3,400 same month"}, {"label": "Metro private wage growth", "value": "+4% y/y", "context": "3rd among benchmark metros"}, {"label": "Missouri federal employment change", "value": "-4,100", "context": "September 2026, state-level"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Kansas City's jobs dip looks sectoral.", "body": "September's estimated 4,200-job metro decline contrasts with a 3.4% unemployment rate that remains below both the state and national figures. Losses concentrated in professional/business services and federal government, while healthcare and education kept adding workers \u2014 a pattern that points to concentrated softness in specific sectors rather than broad-based weakening."}, {"headline": "Local wage growth is outrunning the national real-wage squeeze.", "body": "Metro private-sector hourly wages rose roughly 4% year-over-year, placing Kansas City third among benchmark metros, even as national median weekly earnings (+1.5%) trailed CPI (+3.5%) in the same period. That gap suggests local household purchasing power is holding up better than the national narrative, a relevant data point for any assessment of local consumer demand."}, {"headline": "Federal employment pullback is a Missouri-wide signal worth tracking regionally.", "body": "Missouri federal government employment fell 4,100 in September, consistent with a national pattern of deferred resignations and early retirements pushing federal headcount toward 1966-era lows. Kansas City's substantial federal and government-adjacent employment base makes this a metric worth monitoring for secondary effects on public-sector contractors and services."}, {"headline": "Healthcare's wage and hiring strength is the metro's clearest stabilizer.", "body": "Education and health services employment rose 2.4% year-over-year to 184,200 jobs, and Registered Nurse advertised pay is up moderately locally even as it trails the national median ($93,028 vs. $102,252). The sector's consistency offers a useful benchmark for gauging whether the metro's broader slowdown is isolated or spreading."}], "local_conditions": "Kansas City's September unemployment rate held at 3.4%, tighter than both Missouri's 3.6% and the national 4.1% rate, even as Missouri's September jobs report showed the metro losing an estimated 4,200 positions while St. Louis gained 3,400 \u2014 a divergence that points to uneven sector exposure within the metro. Education and health services continues to anchor local employment growth (184,200 jobs, up 2.4% year-over-year), while declines concentrated in professional and business services, private education/health, trade/transportation, and a 4,100-job pullback in federal government employment.", "implications": "Metro-level job losses alongside a historically low unemployment rate suggest a labor market reallocating workers across sectors \u2014 a distinction that matters for how commerce leaders read local demand signals before committing to expansion or facility decisions. Average hourly private wages in the metro remain up roughly 4% year-over-year, ranking third among benchmark metros even as national real wages erode against inflation, which points to a resilient local consumer base relative to national headlines. Current conditions suggest commerce leaders and economic development officials track the metro's sector-level divergence \u2014 healthcare strength against professional-services softness \u2014 before drawing conclusions from the single-month jobs figure.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Missouri's metro divergence \u2014 St. Louis gains against Kansas City losses in the same September report \u2014 warrants a second data point before treating either reading as a trend. Watch October state jobs data for whether Kansas City's dip persists or reverses."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Federal employment contraction in Missouri (-4,100 in September) and national trends toward historically low federal staffing levels could ripple into Kansas City's sizable government and federal-contractor presence. Local economic development offices may want to track downstream effects on regional services spending."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), show continued strength in healthcare and skilled trades locally, per Full Employment Council reporting of over 24,000 job ads in system earlier this year. Whether that demand signal holds through year-end will help distinguish seasonal softness from a structural shift."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National wage-vs-CPI compression (nominal wages +3.6%, real wages -0.11% year-over-year) has not yet fully shown up in Kansas City's wage data, which remains comparatively strong. A convergence toward the national pattern in coming months would be a signal worth flagging for consumer-spending forecasts."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 25517.0, "metro_p50": 31200.0, "metro_p75": 34195.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 26481.0, "metro_p50": 31200.0, "metro_p75": 32240.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34261.75, "metro_p50": 39520.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58457.0, "metro_p50": 74880.0, "metro_p75": 83980.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29955.0, "metro_p50": 34736.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34653.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 45000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59280.0, "metro_p50": 72470.0, "metro_p75": 80615.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33650.0, "metro_p50": 38948.4, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 33908.0, "metro_p50": 39520.0, "metro_p75": 42640.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29203.5, "metro_p50": 34486.4, "metro_p75": 35874.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34320.0, "metro_p50": 39520.0, "metro_p75": 42640.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 35164.75, "metro_p50": 42468.0, "metro_p75": 47330.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 57200.0, "metro_p50": 69534.4, "metro_p75": 72800.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80507.25, "metro_p50": 93028.0, "metro_p75": 102360.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 103425.5, "metro_p50": 131583.6, "metro_p75": 149150.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 95800.0, "metro_p50": 121386.0, "metro_p75": 139500.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60000.0, "metro_p50": 70000.0, "metro_p75": 77827.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 70660.5, "metro_p50": 87500.0, "metro_p75": 95000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 58981.5, "metro_p50": 70341.4, "metro_p75": 80000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 46800.0, "metro_p50": 58278.6, "metro_p75": 64768.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 71349.0, "metro_p50": 85634.4, "metro_p75": 90000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34819.0, "metro_p50": 50088.0, "metro_p75": 56347.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 60188.5, "metro_p50": 85570.0, "metro_p75": 103008.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 99839.25, "metro_p50": 103119.0, "metro_p75": 103119.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 78024.0, "metro_p50": 93144.8, "metro_p75": 106392.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 72406.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 74317.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 38586.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 57059.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 90000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 67639.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 73000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 74066.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 33549.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 67558.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "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.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "kansas-city-mo-ks-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "kansas-city-mo-ks-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "kansas-city-mo-ks-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:24:09.993013+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/kansas-city-mo-ks-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/kansas-city-mo-ks-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}