Overall unemployment rate moved up to 3.2% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 20,100 roles, based on the most recently available information published in August 2022.

Total employment in the St. Louis, MO-IL market rose by 15,394 jobs in July and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 40 bps to 3.2%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 5 bps over the same time to 3.8%.

  • St. Louis, MO-IL unemployment rate is 58 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 180 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 4.9% and are up 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 July 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -0.9%. Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 264,400; +800
  • Education & Healthcare: 249,500; -200
  • Business Services: 222,100; +600
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 148,700; +2,200
  • Government: 132,200; -20,100
  • Manufacturing: 119,100; +100
  • Financial Services: 90,000; -200
  • Construction, Mining: 78,500; +3,000
  • Other Jobs: 52,300; +1,000
  • IT & Development: 25,900; -200
St. Louis, MO-IL Unemployment by Industry July 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through July 2022 (Data published August 2022 and reports created on September 2, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.