If my house is any indication, job numbers have to improve this summer. (There’s the crew of workers filling the Gatorade stations throughout the house, and, of course, the security team that ensures I’m not allowed to turn down the thermostat.) But positive job numbers weren’t the case for Lawrence and Kansas during the month of May.

Let’s take a look at a mishmash of recently released job data.

• It wouldn’t be fair to say that Kansas is part of the Dirty Dozen. There were not a dozen states during the month of May that saw job declines, according to new federal data. But there were seven states that saw job losses compared with May 2015, and Kansas was one of them. So, maybe we’re part of the Sleepy Seven, or I’ll let you come up with your own nickname. Here’s a look at the seven:

• North Dakota: 16,600 jobs lost; 3.6 percent decline

• Wyoming: 9,500 jobs lost; 3.2 percent decline

• Louisiana: 19,600 jobs lost; 0.9 percent decline

• Alaska: 2,000 jobs lost; 0.5 percent decline

• Kansas: 5,000 jobs lost; 0.3 percent decline

• Maine: 900 jobs lost; 0.1 percent decline

• Oklahoma: 500 jobs lost; 0.03 percent decline

There is good news, though. The governor rightly notes that the unemployment rate in the state has declined. In May it stood at 3.7 percent, which is down from 4.3 percent in May 2015. So, how you view these numbers probably depends on what you are most interested in: job growth or the number of people on unemployment rolls.

Here’s a look at how we stack up in both areas, compared with other states in our region. While our unemployment rate is below the national average of 4.7 percent, Kansas’ rate is just middle of the pack when compared with our neighbors. Job losses in May, however, were the greatest of any state in the region.

• Kansas: 5,000 job loss; 0.3 percent decline; 3.7 percent unemployment rate

• Missouri: 20,300 job gains; 0.7 percent increase; 4.0 percent unemployment rate

• Iowa: 18,600 job gains; 1.1 percent increase; 3.4 percent unemployment rate

• Oklahoma: 500 jobs lost; 0.03 percent decline; 4.8 percent unemployment rate

• Nebraska: 14,600 jobs gained; 1.4 percent increase; 2.8 percent unemployment rate

• Colorado: 62,500 jobs gained; 2.4 percent increase; 3.6 percent unemployment rate

Granted, this is just a one-month snapshot, but it was particularly poor month for construction firms in Kansas. Construction jobs fell by 4,000, compared with May 2015 totals. That’s a drop of 6.5 percent. That was the industry with the greatest number of job losses in May. The mining industry — think oil and gas — had the largest percentage decline. It lost 1,200 jobs or about 14 percent. In terms of industries that saw some growth, the leisure and hospitality industry grew by 1,400 jobs, or 1 percent. The financial services industry also added about 900 jobs, for about a 1.1 percent growth rate.

• Let’s shift gears to Lawrence job numbers. Like the state, Lawrence’s unemployment rate is low and is falling. It checked in at 3.2 percent in May, down from 3.8 percent in May 2015. But also like the state, Lawrence’s job totals did not grow during the month. Total jobs in Lawrence and Douglas County fell by 100 from a year ago, a drop of 0.2 percent. The reason the unemployment rate fell at the same time jobs were falling is because the labor force — the number of people actively looking for work — also declined during the year. Here’s a look at how Lawrence compares with the other metro areas in the state:

• Lawrence: 100 job losses; 0.2 percent decline; 3.2 percent unemployment rate

• Manhattan: 1,800 job gains; 4.1 percent increase; 2.9 percent unemployment rate

• Topeka: 1,200 job losses; 1.1 percent decline; 3.7 percent unemployment rate

• Wichita: 3,700 job gains; 1.2 percent increase; 4.1 percent unemployment rate

• Kansas City: 3,100 job gains; 0.7 percent increase; 3.4 percent unemployment rate

As is the case every month, there were winners and losers on the Lawrence job front. Here are the Lawrence industries that lost jobs in May, compared with the same period a year ago:

• Goods-producing/manufacturing: 200 job losses; 3.6 percent decline

• Trade, transportation and utilities: 200 job loses; 2.5 percent decline

• Education and Health Services: 200 job losses; 3.4 percent decline

Here’s a look at the industries that gained jobs during the period:

• Professional and business services: 100 job gains; 2 percent increase

• Leisure and hospitality; 200 job gains; 2.9 percent increase

• Government; 300 job gains; 1.8 percent increase

In case you are wondering why Lawrence is lagging behind Manhattan so significantly, there is one simple answer: government jobs. Manhattan added 1,800 government jobs during the last 12-month period, an increase of 1.8 percent. Those government jobs pretty much accounted for all of Manhattan’s job growth.