Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.5% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 1,800 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2021.

Total employment in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL market declined by 885 jobs in July and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 100 bps to 3.5%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 43 bps over the same time to 5.7%.

  • Cape Girardeau, MO-IL unemployment rate is 216 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 270 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in July versus prior month by 9.5% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Unemployment July 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -27.7%. Key sectors include:

  • Government: 4,700; -1,800
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Unemployment by Industry July 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through July 2021 (Data published September 2021 and reports created on September 1, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.