Missouri County Unemployment Rates

2020 vs 2021

This StoryMap is a follow up to the Missouri County Unemployment Rates, 2000 vs 2020 which can be accessed with the following link:  https://arcg.is/yubG00 . The data used is courtesy of the Missouri Census Data Center and originally from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The map below includes a swipe feature to facilitate easier comparison between the 2020 and 2021 Missouri county unemployment rate maps. The county level unemployment rates for 2020 are on the left side and the county level unemployment rates for 2021 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 6.1% in 2020 and 4.3% in 2021 (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: 2020 unemployment rates. Right: 2021 unemployment rates.

The Ozarks and southern Missouri continue to have some of the highest unemployment rates in the state, however, the exact counties with the highest percentages have shifted. In 2020, Shannon County had 7.3% unemployment which decreased to 3.6% in 2021. Counties that had relatively low percentages in 2020, like Reynolds (5.5%) and Wayne (6.1%) have seen an increase in 2021 (12.6% and 9.9%, respectively).

Northern Missouri maintains its low percentages on unemployment and did not have any dramatic changes, which again may be due to the number of self-employed farmers in the area. One outlier is Lewis County whose unemployment experienced an increase from 4.8% in 2020 to 7% in 2021. Other counties in this region have had stable or slightly decreasing rates.

Interestingly, Jackson County (home to Kansas City), Boone County (home to Columbia), and St. Louis County, and St. Louis City have all experienced a slight decrease in their unemployment rates. Of those four, St. Louis City had the largest change from 8.4% in 2020 to 6% in 2021. Despite this 2.4% fall, St. Louis City's unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the state.

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.

Image Credit: TheStreet

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

Information about statewide unemployment rate: Bureau of Labor Statistics.