Overall unemployment rate moved down to 4.8% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 6,800 roles, based on the most recently available information published in April 2021.

Total employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL market rose by 9,812 jobs in March and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 4.8%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 38 bps over the same time to 6.2%.

  • St. Louis, MO-IL unemployment rate is 138 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 90 bps above the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a negative.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in March versus prior month by 3.9% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
St. Louis, MO-IL Unemployment March 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 1.2% . Key sectors include:

  • Education & Healthcare: 258,000; +1,300
  • Transportation & Utilities: 254,800; -500
  • Business Services: 201,200; +2,300
  • Government: 154,500; +1,400
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 119,500; +6,800
  • Manufacturing: 112,900; +500
  • Financial Services: 89,600; -300
  • Construction, Mining: 66,700; +3,600
  • Other Jobs: 47,500; +300
  • IT & Development: 25,100; +100
St. Louis, MO-IL Unemployment by Industry March 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through March 2021 (Data published April 2021 and reports created on April 29, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.