Springfield metro area's unemployment rate drops

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate dropped by a full percentage point in May, according to the latest data released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The local MSA's jobless rate was 8.2% in May, down from a revised 9.2% rate in April, according to a news release. April represented the first month of data that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the March unemployment rate was 3.4%, according to past reporting.

Missouri’s MSAs, in order of May unemployment rates, are:
• Jefferson City, 6%, down from 6.5% in April;
• St. Joseph, 6.5%, down from 7.1%;
• Columbia, 6.6%, up from 6.5%;
• Springfield, 8.2%, down from 9.2%;
• Joplin, 8.9%, down from 10.1%;
• Cape Girardeau, 9%, down from 9.7%;
• Kansas City, 10.8%, down from 11.3%; and
• St. Louis, 11.2%, up from 11%.

Missouri's unemployment rate in May was flat at 9.8%, according to the release. The BLS data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with the same month of 2019, May unemployment rates were higher in all of the 389 metro areas measured by the BLS.

The May 2019 unemployment rate in the Springfield area was 2.6%, according to the release. The local MSA comprises Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties.