Jackson County, MO jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meJackson County economy
3.3%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.7% the month before
389,783
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
717,021
people in Jackson County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$67,178
median household income
Source: Census ACS
40%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Where Jackson County ranks
Where Jackson County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #6Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Midwest71 / 100 · of 68
- #15Counties with the most job openings per unemployed person in the Midwest7 per 100 · of 69
- #18Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Midwest27% · of 100
- #20Best county job markets for job seekers in the Midwest65 / 100 · of 68
Jackson County outlook: Steady
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 1.8% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 2.1% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 3.3%, down 0.4 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+5,051 jobs), construction (+2,889 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: transportation & warehousing (−2,022 jobs), professional & technical (−2,007 jobs)
Learn and get funded in Jackson County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Jackson County layoffs
No layoff notices naming Jackson County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.
Employers hiring most in Jackson County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Catalent Pharma Solutions29 open roles
- UMB Financial21 open roles
- Commerce Bank17 open roles
- Children's Mercy Kansas City14 open roles
- Barkley13 open roles
- GXO Logistics9 open roles
- Tenex.ai9 open roles
- HNTB8 open roles
- Cboe Global Markets7 open roles
- Inceed7 open roles
Largest employers headquartered in Jackson County
- H&R Block1,001–5,000 employees
Employee counts with a year are published figures (Wikidata). Other sizes are estimates from our company directory, not payroll counts.
Colleges in Jackson County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri-Kansas City | Kansas City | Public 4-year | 10,000–19,999 |
| Avila University | Kansas City | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Kansas City University | Kansas City | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Rockhurst University | Kansas City | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| City Vision University | Kansas City | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Kansas City Art Institute | Kansas City | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
| Nazarene Theological Seminary | Kansas City | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Jackson County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Missouri? How to file for unemployment in Missouri (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- Eastern Jackson County Workforce Development Board
Jackson (East)
Missouri Career Center - Independence
Independence · Comprehensive · 816-521-5700
8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri; 9am - 5pm Wed
Missouri Career Center - Central Kansas City
Kansas City · Comprehensive · 816-471-2330
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8am-5pm; Friday 9am-5pm
Cities in Jackson County
Other Missouri counties
Laid off or looking for work in Jackson County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Missouri’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Missouri unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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