Springfield MSA jobless rate increases

The unemployment rate for the Springfield metropolitan statistical area rose three-tenths of a point to 5.7 percent in May, up from 5.4 percent in April.

Still, the May jobless rate represented a decrease from 6 percent in the same month last year, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics news release.

Among the eight metropolitan areas in Missouri, Springfield had the fourth-lowest jobless rate in May, while Columbia was No. 1 with a 4.7 percent unemployment rate. Missouri's metropolitan area jobless rates for May, ranked lowest to highest, were:

• Columbia, 4.7 percent;
• Jefferson City, 5.5 percent;
• St. Joseph, 5.6 percent;
• Springfield, 5.7 percent;
• Joplin, 6 percent;
• Cape Girardeau-Jackson, 6.5 percent;
• Kansas City, 6.5 percent; and
• St. Louis, 7 percent.

Of the 372 metropolitan areas measured by the BLS, 253 had lower unemployment rates in May than the same month a year before, 86 had higher rates and 33 were unchanged, the release said.

The Missouri unemployment rate registered at 6.7 percent in May, while the U.S. rate was recorded at 7.6 percent.