Manhattan unemployment climbs past state and national rates.
4.5%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 3.8% Kansas, 4.1% U.S. (Aug 2026, preliminary)
2.9% → 4.3%
Riley County unemployment trend
April to July 2026 rise
0 notices
Kansas WARN activity
Trailing 90 days as of Sept 25, 2026
$41,600
Warehouse/fulfillment pay
vs $38,000 national median, up significantly
This Month's Takeaways
01
Metro unemployment rose faster than the state and nation.
Riley County unemployment climbed from 2.9% in April to 4.3% in July, and the metro's preliminary August rate of 4.5% now sits above both the 3.8% Kansas rate and the 4.1% national rate. That inversion — a university-anchored metro trailing the state it normally outperforms — is worth tracking as more than a seasonal blip.
02
Logistics and food service are the metro's bright spots.
Warehouse/fulfillment pay rose significantly to a metro median of $41,600, well above the $38,000 national figure, and food service pay rose significantly to $40,653 versus $33,756 nationally. Both outpacing national medians by wide margins suggests localized demand pressure in distribution and hospitality capacity, a signal commerce leaders can treat as a current strength even as headline unemployment softens.
03
Skilled trades pay is retreating even as national trades pay climbs.
Electrician pay fell moderately to $68,214 locally while the national median rose significantly to $71,404; HVAC technician pay moved the same direction, down locally while up nationally. Diverging from the national trend in two trades simultaneously is consistent with softer local construction and facilities activity rather than a national trades slowdown reaching Manhattan.
04
Professional-services pay is splitting, not uniformly declining.
Accountant and marketing specialist pay rose significantly locally, while account manager pay fell significantly to $65,000, well under the $92,749 national median. Uneven direction within the same professional-services basket suggests firm-level or sector-specific dynamics rather than a broad local retreat from office-based work.
Local Economic Conditions
Manhattan MSA joblessness drifted upward through summer 2026, with Riley County unemployment climbing from 2.9% in April to 4.3% in July and a preliminary metro-wide reading of 4.5% in August, a softening that tracks the national deceleration in payroll growth rather than any single local shock. Wage momentum remains uneven across the metro's basket — warehouse/fulfillment pay up significantly and food service pay up sharply, while electrician, HVAC, and account manager pay have moved down — consistent with a labor market anchored by Kansas State University and Ascension Via Christi but showing softness in trades and professional-services roles typically tied to construction and discretionary business spending.
Open Threads in the Data
Rising local joblessness alongside sector-specific wage divergence suggests the metro's economic engine — university and hospital employment — continues to provide ballast even as cyclical categories like construction-adjacent trades and account management soften, a pattern commerce leaders should read as uneven resilience rather than broad distress. Public-sector and healthcare stability locally mirrors the national split between hands-on sectors gaining ground and white-collar categories losing it, meaning local expansion or investment decisions tied to professional-services demand warrant more caution than those tied to healthcare, logistics, or food-service capacity. Current conditions suggest reviewing local investment or expansion timelines by sector rather than treating the metro's labor market as a single undifferentiated signal.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Manhattan, KS MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$28,880 |
→ Stable |
536 |
| Retail Cashier |
$29,120 |
↑ Moderate increase |
280 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$41,600 |
↑ Significant increase |
110 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$83,980 |
↑ Moderate increase |
951 |
| Delivery Driver |
$31,974 |
↓ Moderate decline |
529 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$41,699 |
↓ Moderate decline |
38 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$68,214 |
↓ Moderate decline |
175 |
| HVAC Technician |
$66,475 |
↓ Moderate decline |
18 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$39,520 |
↑ Moderate increase |
22 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$35,360 |
→ Stable |
96 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$40,653 |
↑ Significant increase |
136 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$38,219 |
→ Stable |
305 |
| Registered Nurse |
$89,827 |
→ Stable |
1,008 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$40,000 |
↓ Moderate decline |
161 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$152,958 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,321 |
| Data Engineer |
$125,634 |
→ Stable |
361 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$62,400 |
↑ Significant increase |
72 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$67,500 |
↑ Significant increase |
11 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$65,000 |
↑ Significant increase |
112 |
| Business Analyst |
$87,080 |
↑ Moderate increase |
446 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$44,052 |
↑ Significant increase |
358 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$65,000 |
↓ Significant decline |
54 |
Industry Snapshot · Manhattan, KS MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +8.2% |
↑ +316.0% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +14.1% |
↑ +278.5% |
| Retail Trade |
→ −0.8% |
↑ +105.6% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
→ 0.0% |
↑ +183.5% |
| Information |
↑ +82.4% |
↑ +116.7% |
| Financial Activities |
↑ +12.3% |
↑ +103.8% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +11.1% |
↑ +140.9% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +43.6% |
↑ +10.1% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ +0.3% |
↑ +72.6% |
| Government |
↑ +68.4% |
↑ +469.6% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Potential inflection point
September's Kansas Department of Labor report, due October 16, will show whether the Riley County unemployment climb through July continued or reversed. A fourth consecutive monthly rise would mark a trend rather than a summer fluctuation.
Worth watching
Zero WARN notices have been filed in Kansas over the trailing 90 days as of late September, suggesting the metro's unemployment rise is not being driven by mass layoffs. Watch whether that holds, or whether slower national payroll growth (29,000 in September, well below forecast) begins to show up in state filings.
Emerging pressure point
Construction laborer and skilled-trades pay are softening locally while rising nationally, a divergence that may reflect a pause in local building activity. Commerce leaders tracking permits or project starts should watch for confirmation over the next two months.
Early indicator
Kansas statewide labor force participation has fallen 1% year-over-year even as it remains well above the national rate (67.4% versus 61.8% in April). A continued decline, paired with rising metro unemployment, would point to discouraged-worker dynamics rather than simple job-market cooling.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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