The unemployment rate in Missouri fell to 6.9% according to social media posts by Governor Mike Parson. Missouri’s unemployment rate in June was reported at 7.8%, down from 10.1% in May and 10.2% in April, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

Missouri’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in March before it spiked due to the Covid -19 pandemic.

The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 211,177 in July, down by 25,026 from June’s 236,203, according to MERIC.

“Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 52,200 jobs over the month,” state officials said in a statement. “Over-the-year job losses, though still substantial, have diminished as the economy has gradually reopened. Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has now been either below or equal to the national rate for 65 consecutive months. The national unemployment rate was 10.2% in July 2020.”

Nationwide, unemployment hit 14.7% in April, then fell to 13.3% in May and 11.1% in June.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story