After a year where Emporia’s jobless rates hit the highest levels in years, those numbers were noticeably lower at the end of last year than in the middle.
Emporia’s jobless rate was 4.3 percent in December, up slightly from the November 2025 mark of 4.1 percent but lower than the 5-6 percent mark seen this past summer after the closure of Tyson Foods, announced in December 2024, finalized in June 2025. Lyon County’s December rate, 4.1 percent, was slightly above the 3.9-percent mark from November but lower than the 5-plus-percent marks seen this past summer.
Areawide, counties were either up or flat with their monthly numbers. Morris County was flat at 2.8 percent and has the lowest unemployment rate in the KVOE listening area. Chase County has the highest rate at 4.4 percent.
