These Are The 10 Worst Places In Kansas To Get A Job

Top 10 Least Favorable Cities for Job Seekers in Kansas (2026)

At Zippia, we are dedicated to exploring the job landscape across the United States, highlighting both the best and worst cities for employment opportunities.

In this article, we focus on the cities in Kansas that are currently the least favorable for job seekers, following our recent analysis of the top job markets in the state.

These cities have struggled to create the necessary opportunities for career advancement and sustainable employment growth.

Based on data from the 100 largest cities in Kansas, we have identified the ten cities that pose the biggest challenges for job seekers:

Parsons
Chanute
Wichita
Coffeyville
Kansas City
Riverside Township Sedgwick
Independence
Haysville
Salem Township Sedgwick
Valley Center

Continue reading to discover our methodology and insights.

For additional Kansas job-related information, check out:

How We Identified the Least Favorable Job Markets in Kansas

To analyze the job market across the state, we focused on cities with populations exceeding 5,000 residents, narrowing our study to the 100 largest cities.

Each city was assessed based on various criteria, ranked from 1 to 100, with 1 representing the lowest performance in each category.

We then calculated the average rank across all metrics, determining the city with the lowest overall score as the “Worst City in Kansas for Job Seekers.”

The criteria we evaluated included:

1. Parsons

Population: 10,506 Recent Job Growth: -2.20%
Future Job Growth: 29.20%

2. Chanute

Population: 9,138 Recent Job Growth: -1.05%
Future Job Growth: 32.30%

3. Wichita

Population: 381,176 Recent Job Growth: 0.30%
Future Job Growth: 35.00%

4. Coffeyville

Population: 10,219 Recent Job Growth: 0.52%
Future Job Growth: 35.30%

5. Kansas City

Population: 145,605 Recent Job Growth: 0.73%
Future Job Growth: 34.80%

6. Riverside Township Sedgwick

Population: 13,655 Recent Job Growth: 0.30%
Future Job Growth: 35.20%

7. Independence

Population: 9,428 Recent Job Growth: 0.52%
Future Job Growth: 35.30%

8. Haysville

Population: 10,622 Recent Job Growth: 0.30%
Future Job Growth: 35.20%

9. Salem Township Sedgwick

Population: 9,446 Recent Job Growth: 0.30%
Future Job Growth: 35.20%

10. Valley Center

Population: 6,730 Recent Job Growth: 0.30%
Future Job Growth: 35.20%

Conclusion: Navigating Job Opportunities in Kansas

After analyzing the data, Parsons emerges as the city with the most significant challenges for job seekers in Kansas. Despite a generally improving economy and an increase in available jobs statewide, these cities continue to lag behind in creating job opportunities.

It is our hope that these areas can develop strategies to catch up soon, ensuring residents do not miss out on potential career advancements and economic growth.

Detailed List of the Least Favorable Job Markets in Kansas

City	Rank	Population	Recent Job Growth	Future Job Growth
Parsons	1	10,506	-2.20%	29.20%
Chanute	2	9,138	-1.05%	32.30%
Wichita	3	381,176	0.30%	35.00%
Coffeyville	4	10,219	0.52%	35.30%
Kansas City	5	145,605	0.73%	34.80%
Riverside Township Sedgwick	6	13,655	0.30%	35.20%
Independence	7	9,428	0.52%	35.30%
Haysville	8	10,622	0.30%	35.20%
Salem Township Sedgwick	9	9,446	0.30%	35.20%
Valley Center	10	6,730	0.30%	35.20%

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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