Missouri’s May 2026 labor market data reflects continued stability. The state added jobs across multiple sectors, the unemployment rate held steady, and Missouri maintained its long-standing edge over national workforce benchmarks. Here’s what the numbers show.
Missouri Unemployment Holds Steady at 3.8%
Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 3.8 percent in May 2026, unchanged from April and two-tenths of a point below the May 2025 rate of 4.0 percent. The state’s unemployment rate continues to run half a percentage point below the national rate of 4.3 percent — a gap Missouri has sustained for more than 11 consecutive years.
The number of unemployed Missourians dropped to 119,325 in May, down 2,523 from April’s revised figure of 121,848. That’s a meaningful month-over-month decline and a sign that more Missourians are moving into employment.
Missouri also continues to outpace the nation in broader workforce engagement. The state’s labor force participation rate was 63.4 percent in May, 1.6 percentage points above the national rate of 61.8 percent. Missouri’s employment-population ratio of 61.0 percent exceeded the national figure of 59.2 percent by 1.8 percentage points.
Missouri Added 3,400 Jobs in May
Total nonfarm payroll employment reached 2,996,800 in May 2026, an increase of 3,400 jobs from the revised April figure. Private industry added 2,400 jobs and government employment contributed 1,000 jobs to the monthly gain.
Within private service-providing industries, growth was spread across several sectors. Private education and health services led the way with 2,100 new jobs, followed by leisure and hospitality (+1,900), trade, transportation, and utilities (+1,500), other services (+200), and information (+100). Financial activities (-2,100) and professional and business services (-1,700) posted declines for the month.
Goods-producing industries gained 400 jobs overall. Mining, logging, and construction added 800 jobs while manufacturing declined by 400. Government employment increased by 1,000 jobs, driven by gains in state government (+900) and local government (+100).
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A Closer Look at the Year-Over-Year Picture
Compared to May 2025, Missouri’s total payroll employment is up by 1,600 jobs. Year-over-year growth was strongest in mining, logging, and construction (+7,500), private education and health services (+7,300), and leisure and hospitality (+4,000). Manufacturing continued its downward trend, declining by 5,800 jobs compared to a year ago. Financial activities (-2,200) and professional and business services (-1,900) also posted year-over-year losses.
Government employment declined by 8,200 jobs over the year, with the largest losses at the federal level (-5,000), followed by state (-1,900) and local government (-1,300).
What This Means for Mid-Missouri
Missouri’s labor market continues to show resilience. A steady unemployment rate, growing employment across key sectors, and workforce participation numbers well above the national average all point to a healthy environment for both job seekers and employers.
The Central Workforce Development Region offers free services for both job seekers and employers across 19 counties in mid-Missouri, including job matching, on-the-job training reimbursement, tax credits, and more. Visit cwdregion.com to learn more.
To view the full May 2026 Missouri Job Report, click here.
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