Overall unemployment rate moved up to 2.7% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 300 roles, based on the most recently available information published in March 2023.

Total employment in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL market declined by 459 jobs in January and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 2.7%. The national unemployment rate increased by 60 bps over the same time to 3.9%.

  • Cape Girardeau, MO-IL unemployment rate is 116 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 90 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in January versus prior month by 0.7% and are down 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 January 2023

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -4.5%. Key sectors include:

  • Government: 6,300; -300
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Unemployment by Industry January 2023

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through January 2023 (Data published March 2023 and reports created on March 17, 2023).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.