Springfield MSA jobless rate holds steady in August

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area unemployment rate held steady at 6.2 percent in August from July, but dropped a tenth of a point compared to August 2012.

During August, the five-county Springfield MSA recorded a jobless rate in the middle of the eight metro areas in Missouri, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics news release issued this week. The state's metro jobless rates for August, ranked lowest to highest, were:

• Columbia, 5.1 percent;
• Jefferson City, 5.9 percent;
• St. Joseph, 5.9 percent;
• Springfield, 6.2 percent;
• Joplin; 6.5 percent;
• Cape Girardeau-Jackson, 6.9 percent;
• Kansas City, 7.2 percent; and
• St. Louis, 7.4 percent.

Compared to the same month a year ago, unemployment rates in August were lower in 311 of the 372 metro areas measured by the BLS, higher in 47 and unchanged in 14, the release said.

The August unemployment rate in the U.S. was 7.3 percent, while the Missouri jobless rate registered at 7.2 percent during the month.