Springfield metro area jobless rate dips

The unemployment rate in the Springfield metropolitan statistical area dropped four-tenths of a point to 5.2 percent in August from 5.6 percent in July.

The August jobless rate in the Springfield MSA - which comprises Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties - also decreased from 5.9 percent in the same month of 2013, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Springfield MSA registered the third-lowest unemployment rate during August among the eight metro areas in Missouri. August jobless rates in the MSAs were:

• Columbia, 4.4 percent;
• St. Joseph, 5.1 percent;
• Springfield, 5.2 percent.
• Jefferson City, 5.3 percent;
• Joplin, 5.3 percent;
• Kansas City, 6 percent;
• Cape Girardeau-Jackson, 6.1 percent; and
• St. Louis, 6.6 percent.

During August, 322 of the 372 metro areas measured by the BLS realized lower unemployment rates compared to a year earlier, while 44 reported higher rates and six were unchanged.

In August, the Missouri unemployment rate was 6.3 percent, while the national rate was 6.1 percent, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.