Wichita unemployment rate ticks up in December to 4.8 percent

The December unemployment rate in Wichita area was 4.8 percent, up slightly from 4.7 percent in November, but better than the 5.3 percent rate of December 2013, according to the Kansas Department of Labor.

The number of people working in the Wichita metro area is trending up slowly. The number working in December —286,719 — reached the highest point of the year and one of the highest levels since 2009. However, that number remains about 15,000 people fewer than were working in 2007.

The state unemployment rate was 4.0 percent. For other metro areas, the unemployment rates were as follows: Topeka, 4.4 percent; the Kansas side of Kansas City, 4.0 percent; Manhattan, 3.7 percent; Lawrence, 3.5 percent.

This story was originally published January 23, 2015 at 9:46 AM with the headline "Wichita unemployment rate ticks up in December to 4.8 percent."