Springfield's unemployment rate drops after months of increases

The August unemployment rate in the Springfield metropolitan statistical area was down after a series of month-over-month increases, the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

The Springfield MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties – had a 3.4% jobless rate in August, according to a news release. That compares with 4% in July and represents the first decrease since the March to April transition this year, per an analysis of the data.

All of the state's MSAs had month-over-month decreases in August. They are as follows:
• Columbia, 3.2%, down from 3.9% in July
• Springfield, 3.4%, down from 4%
• Jefferson City, 3.5%, down from 4%
• St. Joseph, 3.6%, down from 4.4%
• Kansas City, 3.7%, down from 4.3%
• Joplin, 3.8%, down from 4.7%
• Cape Girardeau, 3.9%, down from 4.9%
• St. Louis, 3.9%, down from 4.6%

Missouri's unemployment rate dropped to 3.9% in August from 4.6% in July, according to the release. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with a year prior, August's unemployment rates were higher in 315 of the 389 metro areas measured nationwide by the BLS, lower in 54 and unchanged in 20. The Springfield MSA's August 2023 unemployment rate was 2.8%.