Springfield MSA’s unemployment rate drops by full percentage point

The Springfield metropolitan statistical area's unemployment dropped sharply in September, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In the MSA comprising Greene, Christian, Webster, Polk and Dallas counties, last month's unemployment rate was 1.6%, a decrease from 2.6% in August, according to a news release. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

Missouri's other metro areas followed suit. They are:
• Columbia, 1.4%, down from 2.4% in August;
• Jefferson City, 1.5%, down from 2.6%;
• Springfield, 1.6%, down from 2.6%;
• St. Joseph, 1.7%, down from 2.8%;
• Joplin, 1.8%, down from 2.8%;
• Cape Girardeau, 1.9%, down from 3%;
• Kansas City, 2.2%, down from 3.1%; and
• St. Louis, 2.3%, down from 3.3%;

Missouri's unemployment rate in September was 1.8%, down from 3% in August, according to the release.

Compared with the same month of 2021, September unemployment rates were lower in 354 of the 389 metro areas measured by the BLS, higher in 27 and unchanged in eight. The Springfield MSA's September 2021 unemployment rate was 2.5%.