Unemployment Rate Increases for Fourth Month

Missouri's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point in September 2023, increasing to 2.9 percent from the revised August 2023 rate of 2.8 percent.

The September 2023 rate was three-tenths of a percentage point higher than the September 2022 rate. This also marks the fourth straight month that the Missouri unemployment rate has risen.

The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 91,671 in September 2023, up 3,694 from August's 87,977.

Missouri's labor force participation rate was 63.7 percent in September 2023, nine-tenths of a percentage point higher than the national rate of 62.8 percent. Missouri's employment-population ratio was 61.8 percent in September 2023, 1.4 percentage points higher than the national rate of 60.4 percent.

Missouri's unemployment rate was 2.9 percent in September 2023, nine-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.8 percent. Missouri's unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for more than eight years.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story