Missouri ranks No. 3 nationally in jobs created

More jobs were created in Missouri in the month of April than in almost every other state in the nation. Missouri ranked third in job creation in April with 20,000 new nonfarm jobs. Florida led the nation in job creation with 29,000 jobs, followed by North Carolina with 20,700.

"We have witnessed strong signs of economic momentum in Missouri for more than a year," said Missouri Gov. Bob Holden in a news release. "At the same time, our state is making sound progress in its transition into the knowledge-based economy."

Meanwhile, job growth figures from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center showed that Springfield led the state in job creation from March 2003 to March 2004.

In that period, 24.2 percent of net new jobs were created in Springfield, even though the city accounts for only 3 percent of the state's total work force of almost 3 million people, according to a news release from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Springfield's job growth, at 3.9 percent, led the state, followed by Joplin at 2.4 percent and Columbia at 1.2 percent. Meanwhile, St. Louis job growth came in at 0.4 percent and Kansas City lost jobs, with a job growth rate of negative 0.5 percent.