JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri’s unemployment rate for February 2016 was 4.2 percent, while payroll employment grew by 9,400 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted data released by the Missouri Department of Economic Development Tuesday. This news follows a revised unemployment rate for January from 4.3 percent to 4.2 percent.
The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent for February 2016.
Missouri employers continued to add jobs in February, especially those operating in accommodation & food services (up by 5,500 jobs), healthcare & social assistance (up by 2,100 jobs), finance & insurance (up by 1,400 jobs), and wholesale & retail trade (up by 1,300 jobs). Nonfarm payroll employment overall grew by 9,400 in February, following January’s increase of 5,800.
The last time the state’s unemployment rate was lower than 4.2 was October 2000, when the seasonally adjusted rate was 4.0 percent.
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
