Springfield MSA unemployment rate drops to 4.7%

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area unemployment rate fell three-tenths of a point in October to 4.7 percent, the second-lowest rate among the eight Missouri metro areas measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Columbia MSA, which saw its unemployment rate drop a tenth of a point to 3.9 percent, recorded the lowest rate in the Show-Me State, according to a news release from the BLS. The state's metro jobless rates for October were:

• Columbia, 3.9 percent;
• Springfield, 4.7 percent;
• Jefferson City, 4.8 percent;
• St. Joseph, 4.8 percent;
• Joplin, 5.1 percent;
• Kansas City, 5.7 percent;
• Cape Girardeau-Jackson, 6 percent; and
• St. Louis, 6.5 percent.

The Springfield MSA, which comprises Greene, Christian, Webster, Dallas and Polk counties, recorded a jobless rate decrease from 5 percent in September and 5.7 percent in October 2012, the release said.

Of the 372 nationwide metro areas measured by the BLS, 280 recorded lower unemployment rates in October compared to a year earlier, 79 reported higher rates and 13 were unchanged.

During October, the Missouri unemployment rate dropped to 6.5 percent, and the U.S. jobless rate rose slightly to 7.3 percent, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.