Liberal’s labor force is young and diverse, including skilled and semi-skilled workers with a variety of technical and educational backgrounds. Seward County Community College/Area Technical School offers workforce development programs as well as degrees in agriculture, math, science and skilled trades. Workforce development is provided through the Business and Industry office.
Kansas is a right-to-work state.
Labor Pool
(Includes surrounding five counties) updated April 19, 2022
Kansas figures as of March 2022 and Oklahoma figures as of February 2022
County | Population | Total Labor | Unemployed | Unemployment Rate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seward County, KS | 21,964 | 9,903 | 263 | 2.7% |
Haskell County, KS | 3,780 | 2,151 | 31 | 1.4% |
Meade County, KS | 4,055 | 2,134 | 35 | 1.6% |
Stevens County, KS | 5,250 | 2,905 | 51 | 1.8% |
Beaver County, OK | 5,297 | 2,650 | 46 | 1.7% |
Texas County, OK | 18,967 | 11,519 | 226 | 2.0% |
Total | 59,313 | 31.262 | 652 | 1.87%(avg) |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Kansas Department of Labor, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
Major Employers
Employer | Employees |
---|---|
National Beef | 3,500 |
USD 480 | 850 |
Seward County Community College | 460 |
Southwest Medical Center | 425 |
Wal-Mart Supercenter | 350 |
Seaboard Foods | 275 |
City of Liberal | 240 |
Conestoga Energy | 220 |
Seward County | 200 |
National Carriers | 200 |
DCP | 150 |
Business Size
Employees | Business Count |
---|---|
1 to 4 employees | 244 |
5 to 9 employees | 135 |
10-19 employees | 86 |
20-49 employees | 49 |
50-99 employees | 10 |
100-249 employees | 4 |
250 + employees | 5 |
0 Employees | 58 |
Total, All Size Classes | 591 |
Source: Kansas Department of Labor, Labor Market Information Services and the Bureau of Labor Statistics;
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
2020 Employed Population 16+ by Industry
Industry |
Percentage |
---|---|
Agriculture/Mining | 8.2% |
Construction | 5.6% |
Manufacturing | 26.9% |
Wholesale Trade | 3.8% |
Retail Trade | 10.7% |
Transportation/Utilities | 7.1% |
Information | 0.7% |
Finance/Insurance/Real Estate | 2.3% |
Services | 30.5% |
Public Administration | 4.1% |
Source, Esri Community Profile for Liberal, KS