Springfield unemployment rate spikes in January, latest data shows

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate rose sharply in January, according to data released yesterday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties – recorded a jobless rate of 4%, according to a news release. That compares with 2.9% in December.

The state's metro areas, by January unemployment rate, are as follows:
•    Jefferson City, 3.4%, up from 2.5% in December
•    Columbia, 3.6%, up from 2.6%
•    Cape Girardeau, 3.9%, up from 3%
•    Joplin, 4%, up from 3%
•    Springfield, 4%, up from 2.9%
•    Kansas City, 4.1%, up from 3.5%
•    St. Joseph, 4.2%, up from 3.2%
•    St. Louis, 4.6%, up from 3.5%

Missouri's January unemployment rate was 4.4%, which is up from 3.3% in December. The BLS data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with a year prior, January's unemployment rates were higher in 252 of the 387 metro areas measured nationwide by the BLS, lower in 101 and unchanged in 34, according to the release. The Springfield MSA's January 2025 unemployment rate was 3.8%.