Midwest region · state data

Missouri unemployment rate and jobs

Missouri's unemployment rate was 3.6% in Sep 2026, 0.6 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 3.9% a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

3.6%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-0.6 pt

A year earlier

3.9%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

20th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

3.01 million

Job growth, 12 months

+1.0%

Record low rate

2.4% (Jul 2022)

Unemployment rate: Missouri vs. the U.S.

3.6% Sep 2026 · Percent

Missouri unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Missouri data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How Missouri compares

In Sep 2026, Missouri had the 20th lowest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with Idaho, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia). Across the 12 states in the Midwest region, the simple average was 3.5%, so Missouri was 0.1 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Missouri's rate has ranged from a low of 2.4% in Jul 2022 to a high of 11.6% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 3.4%, 0.2 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 3.8% and was above the national rate in 0 of them.

Jobs in Missouri

Employers in Missouri reported 3.01 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 28,400 more than a year earlier (+1.0%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 12th of 51. The record high was 3.02 million in Aug 2026. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 2.7%.

3,007.3K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in Missouri
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	3.6%	4.2%	3.01 million	-10,600
Aug 2026	3.5%	4.1%	3.02 million	+4,300
Jul 2026	3.6%	4.1%	3.01 million	+6,800
Jun 2026	3.7%	4.2%	3.01 million	+7,200
May 2026	3.8%	4.3%	3.00 million	+6,200
Apr 2026	3.8%	4.3%	2.99 million	+11,300
Mar 2026	3.9%	4.3%	2.98 million	-3,600
Feb 2026	3.9%	4.4%	2.99 million	-9,000
Jan 2026	3.9%	4.3%	2.99 million	+9,100
Dec 2025	3.9%	4.4%	2.99 million	-2,500
Nov 2025	3.9%	4.5%	2.99 million	+9,200
Sep 2025	3.9%	4.4%	2.98 million	-2,700

Record high unemployment rate: 11.6% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Utah · 3.5%Idaho · 3.6%Pennsylvania · 3.6%Rhode Island · 3.6%

Other Midwest states

Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate in Missouri [MOUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MOUR, Oct 27, 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Missouri [MONA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MONA, Oct 27, 2026.
View MOUR on FRED® · View MONA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment

FRED® is a registered trademark of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Neither the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis nor the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics endorses OpenEcon.