ST. LOUIS — Missouri's jobless rate rose in September, in line with the national trend, suggesting slight cooling in the labor market after more than a year of record-low unemployment.
The statewide unemployment rate was 2.9% in September, up from 2.8% in August, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.
The September rate is still low relative to years past. In the half-century since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began reporting the data, the rate fell below 3% for the first time in January 2022. It hit an all-time low of 2.1% in the summer of 2022, and has risen slowly since.
Missouri remains below the national rate, which was 3.8% in September.