Springfield metro area's unemployment rate dips

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate dipped in November, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released this morning.

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties – posted a jobless rate of 2%, a decrease from an adjusted rate of 2.1% in October, according to a news release. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

None of the state's major metro areas reported increased unemployment rates in November.

Missouri's metro areas, by November unemployment rate, are:
• Columbia, 1.8%, down from 1.9% in October;
• Jefferson City, 2%, flat;
• Springfield, 2%, down from 2.1%;
• St. Joseph, 2.1%, down from 2.2%;
• Joplin, 2.2%, down from 2.3%;
• Cape Girardeau, 2.3%, flat;
• Kansas City, 2.5%, down from 2.6%; and
• St. Louis, 2.7%, flat.

Missouri's unemployment rate in November was 2.4%, which was flat from October, according to the release.

Compared with a year earlier, November unemployment rates were lower in 235 of the 389 metro areas measured by the BLS nationwide, higher in 133 and unchanged in 21. The Springfield MSA's November 2021 unemployment rate was 2.6%.