Missouri led the country in job creation in September after the state's unemployment rate hit a 17-year high in August, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Of the nine states that saw nonfarm payroll employment rise in September, Missouri led the pack with 3,800 new jobs, according to the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The next closest state was Nebraska with 2,200 new jobs.
Missouri's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 6.4 percent in September from 6.7 percent in August - the highest in nearly two decades.
September unemployment figures for the Springfield metropolitan statistical area were not yet available. Updated numbers were scheduled to be released Oct. 29, according to the BLS. Metro area unemployment held steady at 5.3 percent in July and August, according to previously released statistics.
According to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, each of the state's metro areas experienced job growth in September: St. Louis, 11,400; Kansas City, 4,500; Columbia, 3,200; Springfield, 3,000; Joplin, 2,400; Jefferson City, 1,100; and St. Joseph, 900.
Missouri was one of 23 states to register over-the-month unemployment decreases, according to the BLS. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia recorded increases, and six states saw no change.
The national unemployment rate of 6.1 percent remained unchanged from August. The jobless rate in the Midwest region, though, was among the highest in the country at 6.5 percent, according to the BLS.[[In-content Ad]]
