Missouri County Unemployment Rates

2000 vs 2020

This StoryMap includes a swipe feature to facilitate easier comparison between the 2000 and 2020 Missouri county unemployment rate maps. The county level unemployment rates for 2000 are on the left side and the county level unemployment rates for 2020 are on the right. Click and drag the arrow in the center of the map to switch between the two dates.

The two maps have two different color gradients as a result of higher unemployment statewide in 2020. Missouri's annual average unemployment rate was 3.4% in 2000 and 6.1% in 2020 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The 2020 annual average was impacted by an increase in unemployment as a result of the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, 2020.

Left: 2000 unemployment rates. Right: 2020 unemployment rates.

This comparison of Missouri’s 2000 and 2020 annual average unemployment rates by county, data courtesy of the Missouri Census Data Center (originally from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), conveys several interesting regional patterns.

The Ozarks continued to have some of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Shannon County had an unemployment rate of 5.6% in 2000 and 7.3% in 2020. Some moderate improvement has taken place in the counties surrounding Cape Girardeau.

Mid and northern Missouri remain consistently employed with unemployment decreasing in several northern counties, perhaps due to the number of self-employed farmers. It is likely that Jefferson City and Columbia played roles in maintaining the economic vitality of Cole County, Boone County, and the surrounding counties due to their major employers, the state government and the University of Missouri respectively.

Both Jackson County, containing Kansas City, and St. Louis County displayed increases in unemployment. From 2000 to 2020, Jackson County’s unemployment rate rose from 3.7% to 7% and St. Louis County’s rate rose from 3.1 % to 6.2%. St. Louis City’s unemployment rate was one of the highest in the state both years and grew in the twenty year time span from 5.7% to 8.4%.

It should be noted that the data presented in this StoryMap are annual averages. The unemployment rate in 2020 saw a spike beginning in March due to the emergence of COVID-19 which impacted the annual average. The author is looking forward to further studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Missouri's county level unemployment rates.

Image Credit: THE BALANCE / DANIEL FISHEL

Data: Originally from Bureau of Labor Statistics, provided by the Missouri Census Data Center

Information about statewide unemployment rate: Bureau of Labor Statistics.