Springfield MSA jobless rate jumps in January

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area unemployment rate came in at 5 percent in January, representing an increase of eight-tenths of a point from December.

While up from 4.2 percent in the last month of the year, the latest jobless rate still was down from 5.8 percent in January 2014. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 339 of the nation’s 387 MSAs recorded lower January unemployment rates than a year earlier, while 38 were higher and 10 were unchanged, according to a news release.

In January, Springfield’s jobless rate was the third-lowest among the eight metropolitan statistical areas in Missouri:

• Columbia, 4 percent;
• Joplin, 4.8 percent;
• Springfield, 5 percent;
• Jefferson City, 5.1 percent;
• St. Joseph, 5.1 percent;
• Cape Girardeau, 5.3 percent;
• Kansas City, 5.9 percent; and
• St. Louis, 6 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in January, according to the BLS. The Missouri Department of Economic Development reported a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 5.5 percent in the state during the month, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.