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Economy & jobs Statistics · Area

Unemployment rate in St. Louis

1990 – 2025 · 36 data points 33 of 115 · Regions of Missouri Updated Oct 21, 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 1990 – 2025

Unemployment rate, 1990 – 2025 percent · St. Louis · Missouri · United States · World
−1.6 pp since 2015
St. Louis Missouri United States World

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1990 – 2025

Compared with Unemployment rate · percent
St. Louis
4.6%
Missouri
4.0%
United States
3.6% · 2023
World
4.8%

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators

The series at a glance St. Louis · 1990 – 2025
Latest value 4.6% · 2025
First value 8.5% · 1990
Highest 11.5% · 2009
Lowest 3.0% · 2022
Data points 36

By year

All years · 1990 – 2025

YearSt. LouisChange MissouriUnited StatesWorld
2025 4.6% +0.4 pp 4.0% — 4.8%
2024 4.2% +0.7 pp 3.7% — 4.8%
2023 3.5% +0.5 pp 3.1% 3.6% 4.8%
2022 3.0% −2.5 pp 2.6% 3.7% 5.2%
2021 5.5% −2.6 pp 4.1% 5.4% 6.0%
2020 8.1% +4.6 pp 6.1% 8.1% 6.6%
2019 3.5% −0.1 pp 3.2% 3.7% 5.6%
2018 3.6% −0.5 pp 3.2% 3.9% 5.8%
2017 4.1% −0.9 pp 3.8% 4.4% 5.9%
2016 5.0% −1.2 pp 4.6% 4.9% 6.0%
2015 6.2% −1.4 pp 5.1% 5.3% 6.0%
2014 7.6% −0.8 pp 6.2% 6.2% 6.0%
2013 8.4% −0.3 pp 6.8% 5.3% 6.1%
2012 8.7% −1.7 pp 7.1% 8.1% 6.2%
2011 10.4% −0.9 pp 8.6% 9.0% 6.1%
2010 11.3% −0.2 pp 9.4% 9.6% 6.3%
2009 11.5% +3.7 pp 9.1% 9.3% 6.4%
2008 7.8% +0.7 pp 6.1% 5.8% 5.8%
2007 7.1% +0.2 pp 5.1% 4.6% 5.8%
2006 6.9% −1.3 pp 4.9% 4.6% 6.0%
2005 8.2% −0.7 pp 5.4% 5.1% 6.2%
2004 8.9% +0.3 pp 5.9% 5.5% 6.3%
2003 8.6% +0.6 pp 5.7% 6.0% 6.5%
2002 8.0% +1.2 pp 5.3% 5.8% 6.4%
2001 6.8% +1.4 pp 4.5% 4.8% 6.2%
2000 5.4% −1.0 pp 3.4% 4.0% 6.1%
1999 6.4% −1.3 pp 3.2% 4.2% 6.3%
1998 7.7% ±0.0 pp 4.1% 4.5% 6.2%
1997 7.7% −0.3 pp 4.4% 4.9% 6.0%
1996 8.0% +0.2 pp 4.7% 5.4% 6.0%
1995 7.8% ±0.0 pp 4.8% 5.6% 5.9%
1994 7.8% −0.8 pp 5.1% — 5.8%
1993 8.6% −0.3 pp 6.1% — 5.5%
1992 8.9% −0.3 pp 6.1% — 5.3%
1991 9.2% +0.7 pp 6.6% — 5.1%
1990 8.5% 5.9% — —

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics · OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1990 – 2025

Ranking · Regions of Missouri

2014 · Place 1 is the highest value.

#TerritoryUnemployment rate
1 Iron County 9.9%
2 Taney County 9.8%
3 Stone County 9.7%
4 Shannon County 9.5%
5 Pemiscot County 9.4%
6 Dunklin County 9.1%
7 Carter County 9.0%
8 Ozark County 9.0%
9 Morgan County 8.8%
10 Washington County 8.6%
11 Hickory County 8.4%
12 Reynolds County 8.4%
13 Ripley County 8.3%
14 Linn County 8.2%
15 Camden County 8.2%
16 Crawford County 8.1%
17 Laclede County 8.1%
18 Texas County 8.0%
19 Stoddard County 7.9%
20 Benton County 7.8%
21 Miller County 7.8%
22 Dallas County 7.7%
23 Douglas County 7.7%
24 St. Clair County 7.7%
25 St. Francois County 7.7%
26 St. Louis city 7.6%
27 Oregon County 7.5%
28 Wayne County 7.5%
29 New Madrid County 7.5%
…

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2014

What it means

The share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.

How it is calculated

Unemployed people divided by the labour force (employed plus unemployed), following the international definition; annual average.