Kansas state government Archives

Apr

Kansas jobs, March 2021

In Kansas for March 2021, the labor force grew, the number of people working rose, and the unemployment rate fell. Data released yesterday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows an improving employment picture in Kansas for March 2021. (Click charts and tables for larger versions.) Using seasonally adjusted data, from February 2021 to March 2021, nonfarm employment in Kansas rose by 12,800 jobs (0.9 percent). Over the year, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs for March 2021 was lower by 48,900 (3.4 percent) over the same month last year. This is…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax revenue, March 2021

For March 2021, Kansas tax revenue was 12.7 percent greater than March 2020. Over the nine months of the current fiscal year, revenue is 14.0 percent higher than at the same point of the previous year. (more…)

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Kansas school spending

Kansas school district spending, updated through 2020 and adjusted for inflation. What is the trend in Kansas school spending? This visualization presents several tables and illustrations of spending data. It is presented separately for each district, with a special district "State Totals - 999" being the sum of all districts. (more…)

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Kansas jobs, February 2021

In Kansas for February 2021, the labor force shrank, the number of people working fell, and the unemployment rate fell. Data released today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a deteriorating employment picture in Kansas for February 2021, even though the unemployment rate fell. (more…)

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for Kansas

Mar

By Bob Weeks

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for Kansas

Looking at Kansas school test scores as compared to the nation. (more…)

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Kansas jobs, January 2021

In Kansas for January 2021, the labor force shrank while the number of people working rose, resulting in a drop in the unemployment rate. Data released this week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a mixed employment picture in Kansas for January 2021. (Click charts and tables for larger versions.) Using seasonally adjusted data, from December 2020 to January 2021, nonfarm employment in Kansas rose by 10,000 jobs (0.7 percent). Over the year, the number of Kansas nonfarm jobs for January 2021 was lower by 66,400 (4.6 percent) over the same…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax revenue, February 2021

For February 2021, Kansas tax revenue was 1.7 percent greater than February 2020. Over the eight months of the current fiscal year, revenue is 14.2 percent higher than at the same point of the previous year. Tax reports from the State of Kansas for February 2021 show tax revenues falling from the previous month, but higher than the same month the prior year, despite the effects of the response to the pandemic. The fall from January is characteristic of the seasonal pattern. When reporting on Kansas tax collections, the comparison is usually made to the estimated collections. Those estimates were…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Historic buildings bill on tap

A bill designed to protect two buildings in downtown Wichita has a legislative hearing this week. Last year a citizen group gathered signatures on a petition that would prevent the City of Wichita from disposing of two downtown buildings without an approving vote of a majority of citizens. Based on having the required number of valid signatures, the petition was certified as valid. But the city sued to have the petition thrown out, contending the petition went beyond what Kansas law allows as the subject of municipal petitions. A judge agreed with the city. Now the group has a bill…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Say no to special tax treatment, again

In Kansas, a company seeks to avoid paying property taxes, again. In a bill presented in the Kansas Legislature, the owner of health clubs seeks to avoid paying property taxes. The same company and its owner have tried this before. In 2014, I explained how granting this exemption was a bad idea. What has changed since then? This exemption is still a bad idea for reasons of public policy. Additionally, Brandon Steven, the owner of the health clubs, plead guilty to a gambling charge and forfeited one million dollars in earnings. The companies also owe a lot of the tax…

Kansas unemployment claims trending lower

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Kansas unemployment claims trending lower

A visualization of unemployment insurance claims by state, adjusted for population, shows Kansas as having a high number of claims, but trending lower. (more…)

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax revenue, January 2021

For January 2021, total Kansas tax revenue was 9.7 percent greater than January 2020. Over the seven months of the current fiscal year, tax revenue is 15.5 percent higher than at the same point of the previous fiscal year. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas agency revenue

Data regarding State of Kansas agency revenue presented in an interactive visualization, with data through fiscal year 2020. The source of this data is KanView, the Kansas transparency portal, through its download center. Data from multiple years are combined into one database. Data starts with fiscal year 2011. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas agency expenditures

Data regarding State of Kansas agency spending presented in an interactive visualization. The source of this data is KanView, the Kansas transparency portal, through its download center. Data from multiple years are combined into one database. Data starts with fiscal year 2011. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas jobs, December 2020

In Kansas for December 2020, the labor force shrank while the number of people working rose, resulting in a drop in the unemployment rate. Data released today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor, shows a mixed employment picture in Kansas for December 2020. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas economic dashboard

Charts of economic indicators for Kansas, compared to the nation and surrounding states. (more…)

Kansas unemployment claims are high and rising

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas unemployment claims are high and rising

A visualization of unemployment insurance claims by state, adjusted for population, shows Kansas as an outlier among states. The number of people filing for unemployment insurance each week is a useful indicator of the condition of the economy. I present this data for each state and the nation in an interactive visualization. Because states vary widely in their population (the most populous state has 68 times the population of the least populous), I've cast the data as claims per thousand residents of each state. (more…)

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax revenue, December 2020

For December 2020, total Kansas tax revenue was 1.8 percent greater than last December 2019. Over the six months of the current fiscal year, tax revenue is 16.6 percent higher than at the same point of the previous fiscal year. (more…)

Dec

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax revenue, November 2020

For November 2020, total Kansas tax revenue was 4.3 percent greater than last November. Over the five months of the current fiscal year, tax revenue rose by 20.6 percent. Tax reports from the State of Kansas for November 2020 show tax revenues falling from the previous month, but higher than the same month last year, despite the effects of the response to the pandemic. When reporting on Kansas tax collections, the comparison is usually made to the estimated collections. Those estimates were revised in April based on economic conditions affected by the response to the pandemic. To get a feel…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas tax revenue, October 2020

For October 2020, total Kansas tax revenue was 7.9 percent greater than last October. Over the four months of the current fiscal year, tax revenue rose by 24.4 percent. Tax reports from the State of Kansas for October 2020 show tax revenues falling from the previous month, but higher than the same month last year, despite the effects of the response to the pandemic. When reporting on Kansas tax collections, the comparison is usually made to the estimated collections. Those estimates were revised in April based on economic conditions affected by the response to the pandemic. To get a feel…

Oct

By Bob Weeks

Local government employment in Kansas

Kansas has nearly the highest number of local government employees per resident, compared to other states. These are local government employees only. State and federal government employees are not included. The source of this data is the United States Census Bureau. I've gathered it and created an interactive visualization. Additionally, using each state’s population for each year, I’ve also computed the annual payroll on a per-resident basis and the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees per thousand residents. For all local government employees, Kansas had 50.55 employees per thousand residents in 2016, higher than all states (and areas) but the…