In line with rest of state, Springfield MSA jobless rate drops

Following suit with the state at large, the Springfield metropolitan statistical area’s unemployment rate moved down in September, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released this morning.

The five-county Springfield metro area — covering Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties — posted a jobless rate of 2.3 percent, a drop from 3 percent in August, according to a news release.

Missouri’s eight MSAs, in order of September unemployment rates, are:
    •    Columbia, 1.9 percent, down from 2.6 percent in August;
    •    Jefferson City, 2.2 percent, down from 3 percent;
    •    Springfield, 2.3 percent, down from 3 percent;
    •    St. Joseph, 2.3 percent, down from 3.1 percent;
    •    Joplin, 2.4 percent, down from 3.3 percent;
    •    Cape Girardeau, 2.5 percent, down from 3.2 percent;
    •    Kansas City, 2.8 percent, down from 3.5 percent; and
    •    St. Louis, 2.9 percent, down from 3.6 percent.

Missouri’s unemployment rate in September was 2.6 percent, compared with 3.4 percent in August, according to the release. The BLS data is not seasonally adjusted.

Compared with a year earlier, unemployment rates in September were lower in 308 of the 388 metro areas measured by the BLS, higher in 58 and unchanged in 22.