Springfield metro area's latest unemployment rate rises

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate rose in March, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties – had a jobless rate of 2.4%, up from 2.1% in February, according to a news release. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

According to the BLS, Missouri's metro areas, by March unemployment rate, are:
• Columbia, 2.2%, up from 2%.
• Jefferson City, 2.2%, flat.
• Springfield, 2.4%, up from 2.1%.
• Cape Girardeau, 2.5%, up from 2.3%.
• Joplin, 2.6%, up from 2.3%.
• St. Joseph, 2.6%, flat.
• Kansas City, 2.8%, down from 2.9%.
• St. Louis, 2.8%, flat.

Missouri's March unemployment rate was 2.7%, flat from February, according to the BLS release.

Compared with a year earlier, March unemployment rates were lower in 208 of the 389 MSAs measured by the BLS, higher in 151 and unchanged in 30. The Springfield metro area's March 2022 unemployment rate was 2.3%.