Leavenworth County, Kansas
Total Employment
This is an annual count of all jobs located in the county (as opposed to jobs held by county residents).
Employment in Leavenworth County has remained fairly steady around 17,000 since 2000. The County did experience an uptick in 2016 and now stands at 17,192.
Employment by Industry
Public administration is the industry with the most employment in Leavenworth County, followed by health care, education and retail.
Employment Change by Industry
The seasonal nature of educational service employment is evident as there is a dip during the 3rd quarter every year. Still the overall trend is slightly up.
There was also a significant increase in the accommodations and food services industry.
The finance and insurance industry has been on a downward employment trend since 2010.
Using the legend on the right, you can select or de-select industries to see their recent trend.
Average Wages
Average wages in Clay County are generally lower than national averages. The overall average monthly wage (for the private sector) is $3,314 in Leavenworth County and $4,678 nationally.
The lower wages are surprising given that Leavenworth has a higher share of the population with at least a Bachelor's degree than the nation over all. This is likely due to the fact that we do not have employment and wage data for Fort Leavenworth.
Still, the fact remains that Leavenworth can offer a highly skilled workforce at wages below the national average.
Unemployment Rate
The unemployment rate for Leavenworth County in August sits at 4.5 percent. The County's unemployment rate has tended to move along with the Kansas City MSA's rate (4.4% in August)
New Business Employment
In today’s economy, much attention is placed on an economy’s ability to start and grow new businesses. One way to measure this is to look at employment in young firms.
Somewhat surprisingly, national employment in new firms has been on the decline in recent years. Today, just 7percent of workers work in firms that are less than 4 years old. That figure had been as high as 11 percent in the early 2000's.
Leavenworth County does better in this measure as nearly 9 percent of all County workers work for a new firm.
Despite the overall declines, this measure remains an important one. A community that is able to create a culture where entrepreneurship can thrive will have an advantage over its competition.