The local economy of Missouri and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.5%
-0.5 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Atchison County 2.9%, highest Mississippi County 6.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,354
+3.4%vs a year ago
2,890,458 jobs at 263,493 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
18,495
+13.4%this year vs last year
Most in Jackson County 3,615, St. Charles County 2,140.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+8,730
+1.8 per 1,000residents
126,617 moved in and 117,887 moved out. Most newcomers came from Kansas.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Missouri gas price
$4.03
+$1.27vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Jefferson County $3.78, highest Reynolds County $4.33. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Missouri, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
151K
-1.5%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.63M
+2.6%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$160.7B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$61,049
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $123,094.
Per employee per year
Share of Missouri's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 216,564 | $22,011 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 136,447 | $71,872 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 86,543 | $123,094 |
| Employment Services | 63,717 | $56,835 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 58,538 | $29,736 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 52,834 | $64,387 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 49,826 | $80,305 |
| Grocery Stores | 46,470 | $23,965 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 45,435 | $102,763 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 44,234 | $77,512 |
| Offices of Physicians | 42,523 | $120,032 |
| Individual and Family Services | 42,027 | $32,336 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Missouri, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Missouri is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Missouri, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Missouri was 3.5% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.0% a year earlier. 3,057,441 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,169,856. Among its counties, Atchison County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Mississippi County the highest (6.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Missouri was $1,354 in Q1 2026, up 3.4% from a year earlier, across 2,890,458 jobs at 263,493 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 2,198 new homes in Missouri in August 2026 (1,050 single-family and 1,078 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 12,831, up 13.4% from the same months last year, and 18,495 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Jackson County (3,615), St. Charles County (2,140), Taney County (1,235) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 126,617 people moved to Missouri and 117,887 moved away, a net gain of 8,730 (+1.8 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Kansas, Illinois, Texas, and most people who left went to Kansas, Illinois, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Missouri averaged $4.03 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.27 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.99. Among its counties, Jefferson County had the lowest regular price ($3.78) and Reynolds County the highest ($4.33).
Health Care and Social Assistance (427,714 employees), Retail Trade (314,186 employees), Manufacturing (283,563 employees) were the largest sectors in Missouri in 2023. In all, 151,475 business locations employed 2,631,543 people at an average pay of $61,049 a year.