Springfield metro's unemployment rate dips

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate dipped in November, according to data released late last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties – had a November unemployment rate of 2.9%, according to a news release. That's down from 3% in October.

The state's metro areas, by November unemployment rate, are as follows:
• Columbia, 2.7%, unchanged from October
• Jefferson City, 2.7%, down from 2.8%
• Springfield, 2.9%, down from 3%
• St. Joseph, 3%, down from 3.1%
• Cape Girardeau, 3.2%, unchanged
• Joplin, 3.3%, unchanged
• Kansas City, 3.3%, down from 3.4%
• St. Louis, 3.3%, down from 3.5%

Missouri's unemployment rate in November was 3.3%, down from 3.4% in October. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with a year prior, November's unemployment rates were higher in 308 of the 389 metro areas measured nationwide by the BLS, lower in 60 and unchanged in 21. The Springfield MSA's November 2023 unemployment rate was 2.4%.