Pottawatomie County Economic Update Quarter 3 2025

During Q3, Pottawatomie County’s home sales totals mirrored the count of closings from the previous quarter, while county-wide sales and use tax totals hovered around the year-to-date monthly average of $482,126. While the county’s key indicators may have been steady throughout the year, there is one notable change in that the quarter’s closing labor force data is unavailable due to the government shutdown and resulting suspension of the September 2025 Kansas Labor Report.

Pottawatomie County Employment & Workforce

The Kansas Department of Labor Information Center has not released September data for 2025, due to an October 1st suspension of all Bureau of Labor Statistics operations following the federal funding lapse. The most recent data available is now from August.

The August numbers included a workforce of 13,261, with an unemployment rate of 3.8%; this unemployment rate is below the state average of 4.3% (numbers not seasonally adjusted). The August 2025 numbers compare closely to the Pottawatomie County August 2024 numbers, which included a labor force of 13,268 people and an unemployment rate of 3.7%. While the employment numbers for Pottawatomie County have been generally steady throughout the year, there is ongoing uncertainty surrounding what’s next for government-funded jobs nationally.

Pottawatomie County Sales Tax and Retail Sales Data

2025 sales and use tax totals for Pottawatomie County are slightly outpacing those of 2024, but are close, with just under $72,475 more coming in during 2025. While the current year-to-date monthly average is $482,126, the upcoming holiday season may lead to a bump in sales and use tax collections in quarter four.

Pottawatomie County Housing Trends

Quarter two and quarter three provided a strong season for home sales, and around 85 Pottawatomie County homes were closed in each of these quarters individually. These totals compare favorably to the quarter one home sales total, which was around 38 homes, according to the Flint Hills Association of Realtors. However, it is not atypical for home sale counts to peak in the warmer months, so we may see a downturn in home closings as we approach the end of the year and the beginning of 2026.

All in all, the housing market has held strong – but also difficult for homebuyers. The need for housing in the county has been investigated several times by the PCEDC, now most recently through the Saint Mary’s Housing Assessment Tool. By using this tool, which is provided by the Kansas Department of Commerce, we investigated the Saint Marys housing market, discovering strong housing demand, solid infrastructure, and a community-wide commitment to growth. With these pieces in place, Saint Marys is well-positioned to grow and, potentially, meet community needs for affordable senior housing, multifamily housing, and lots for single-family housing.

National & Global Concerns

Government Shutdown and Workforce Uncertainty

As evidenced by the labor section of this report, the impacts of the government shutdown are widespread. While the long-term impacts on government workers are largely yet to be seen, the possibility of layoffs has been addressed by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, causing uncertainty for many government job holders. According to a recent USAFacts article on key aspects of the shutdown, layoffs would fit into a larger trend of federal workforce reduction.

Pottawatomie County Economic Update Quarter 3 2025

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