Springfield MSA's unemployment rate ticks up

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate inched up in July, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties – recorded a July unemployment rate of 4.3%, according to a news release. That's up from 4.2% in June.

The state's metro areas, by July unemployment rate, are as follows:
• Jefferson City, 3.8%, up from 3.7% in June
• Springfield, 4.3%, up from 4.2%
• Kansas City, 4.4%, up from 4.2%
• Cape Girardeau, 4.5%, up from 4.3%
• Columbia, 4.5%, up from 4.2%
• Joplin, 4.5%, up from 4.4%
• St. Louis, 4.5%, up from 4.1%
• St. Joseph, 4.8%, up from 4.5%

Missouri's July unemployment rate was 4.7%, up from 4.4% in June. The BLS data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with a year prior, July's unemployment rates were higher in 190 of the 387 metro areas measured nationwide by the BLS, lower in 170 and unchanged in 27. The Springfield MSA's July 2024 unemployment rate was 3.9%.