National salary averages can be misleading. The Kansas Department of Labor publishes state and regional data instead.
Kansas Labor Information Center (klic.dol.ks.gov) is the state’s labor market data hub.
What is most useful to students. High demand occupation lists at the statewide level and for each of the seven projection regions, with an indicator marking which of those are also high wage. There is also a collection called Today’s Occupations, focused specifically on high-demand, high-wage jobs that require less than a bachelor’s degree. If you are weighing a certificate or associate degree, start there.
Career posters. KLIC publishes a poster for each career cluster showing representative occupations, typical wages, and education levels, which makes them a fast way to scan a whole field.
Organized by Kansas career clusters. High demand data is available broken out by the career clusters designated by the Kansas State Department of Education, so it lines up with the pathway you may already be in at your high school.
Regional data matters. Wages in south central Kansas differ from statewide averages. Use the projection region data rather than the state figure when you can.
Sources: Kansas Labor Information Center, klic.dol.ks.gov; KSDE Career Clusters page referencing KLIC data, ksde.gov/student-success/cte/career-clusters.