Unemployment rate ticks up in Springfield metro area

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment rate rose in August, according to the latest data released this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The MSA – which comprises Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties – recorded a 2.6% unemployment rate last month, up from 2.3% in July, according to a news release. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

Missouri's other metro areas mostly followed suit. They are:
• Columbia, 2.4%, up from 2.3% in July;
• Jefferson City, 2.6%, up from 2.4%;
• Springfield, 2.6%, up from 2.3%;
• Joplin, 2.8%, up from 2.7%;
• St. Joseph, 2.8%, up from 2.7%;
• Cape Girardeau, 3%, unchanged;
• Kansas City, 3.1%, down from 3.2%; and
• St. Louis 3.3%, up from 3.2%.

Missouri's August unemployment rate was 3%, up from 2.9% in July, according to the release.

Compared with the same month of 2021, August unemployment rates were lower in 384 of the 389 metro areas measured by the BLS and higher in five. The Springfield MSA's August 2021 unemployment rate was 3.4%.