Trendsights Newsletter

County Demographic Data
The latest demographic data such as educational attainment, gender, age, race and ethnicity are available for Missouri and its counties. The easy-to-use Excel file format includes data for each county for 44 demographic factors, and is formatted with a separate tab showing the counties by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) region.
Missouri Economic Diversity
A diversified economy is one with many industries that is more balanced and can better manage fluctuations in the business cycle. Using an index of the distribution of state gross domestic product across industries, Missouri ranked fourth in the index for economic diversity, up two spots from the previous year.
Missouri Higher Education Fact Book
Missouri is home to a diverse higher education system that offers a variety of degree and certificate programs and specialized training, with 93,283 degrees and certificates awarded during the 2019-2020 academic year. More than 318,000 students were enrolled at Missouri’s public and independent colleges and universities alone in 2020. Learn more facts about higher education in Missouri such as enrollment, top degree programs and graduation rates at Missouri’s public institutions in the latest update of the Higher Education Fact book.
West Central Real-Time Labor Market Information
The West Central Region includes 13 counties, with Sedalia and Warrensburg being the region’s largest cities. During the last quarter of 2020, there were 2,056 job postings in the region, with 69 percent posted as full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, and Retail Trade were the top industries for job postings. See the top 10 employers posting jobs and a list of the occupations with the highest number of postings in the region in this quarterly update.
Missouri Top Country Exports
Over half of all Missouri’s export income came from the top three recipients in 2020. Canada purchased $4.45 billion in goods, followed by Mexico ($2.17 billion), and China ($680 million). Did you know that the Netherlands had the largest percentage increase in exports from 2019 to 2020? Missouri exports to North America were over half of all exports, followed by Asia and Europe. Click on the link above to see what commodities are purchased by the Missouri top export countries.
Southwest Real-Time Labor Market Information
Missouri's Southwest Region includes seven counties, with Joplin as the region’s largest city. During the last quarter of 2020, there were 3,236 job postings in the region, with 66 percent posted as full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance and Manufacturing were the top two industries for job postings. See the top 10 employers posting jobs and a list of the occupations with the highest number of postings in the Southwest Region in this quarterly update.
January 2021 Job Postings by Region
Registered nurses had the largest number of online job postings for six of Missouri's 10 labor market regions in January 2021, based on data from Burning Glass Technologies, Labor/Insight™, which collects job posting information from over 35,000 web sources, including job boards, newspapers, large and small employer websites. This easy-to-view Excel file download shows the occupations with the largest number of openings in the month for Missouri and each of the regions.
Many Languages in Missouri
In Missouri, nearly 94 percent of residents speak English only, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. The other six percent of Missourians speak either another language in addition to English or have a different primary language, with 2.2 percent of Missouri residents with limited English proficiency. The three most common languages other than English are Spanish, Chinese and German. See data for counties and other languages in this interactive report.
Southeast Real-Time Labor Market Information
Missouri's Southeast Region includes 13 counties, with Cape Girardeau as the region’s largest city. During the last quarter of 2020, there were 2,543 job postings in the region, with 67 percent of job openings posted as full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance and Retail Trade were the top two industries for job postings, similar to the trend for the state overall. See the list of occupations in the Southeast Region with the highest number of openings in this quarterly report.
Valentine’s Day: Love’s Impact on the Economy
Valentine's Day spending is predicted to total $21.8 billion in the U.S., with average spending of $164.76 per person, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2021 Valentine’s Day Consumer Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics. In Missouri, chocolate candy manufacturers employ 493 workers and over $2 million in fresh cut flowers are imported each year. Click on the above link to discover more fun facts about Valentine’s Day and how consumers plan to lavish gifts on their loved ones.
Missouri Labor Force Participation Rate Rises
The labor force participation rate is an indicator of the relative amount of labor resources available for the production of goods and services and is calculated as the number of all employed and unemployed workers divided against the state's civilian population. Missouri's labor force participation rate rose 1.5 percentage points in December 2020 to 63.4 percent from the November 2020 rate of 61.9 percent, not seasonally adjusted. The pre-pandemic rate in December of 2019 was 64.2 percent. Click on the link above to learn more about the labor force participation rate trend in Missouri and other states.
Small Business Financial Health
Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey shows Missouri businesses have been positioned greater than the collective U.S. with respect to some financial health indicators. Roughly 5 percent of U.S. small businesses expected to permanently close within the next six months, according to the December pulse survey, and 3 percent of Missouri small businesses said the same. One-third of U.S. small businesses reported they will need financial assistance or additional capital in the next half year, but only 27 percent of Missouri small businesses indicated that need. View the full report to learn more about how Missouri businesses’ financial health has changed in recent months.
Career Outlook: Carpenters
Carpenters construct, repair, and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials while working indoors and outdoors on many types of construction projects from installing kitchen cabinets to building highways and bridges. Carpenters typically learn on the job and through apprenticeships. In Missouri, carpenters have a good career outlook, with a career grade of B+, earning an average wage of $55,220. Learn more about carpenters and the outlook for other occupations in Missouri’s occupational projections by clicking on the above links.
Missouri Continues to Excel in Cost of Living
Missouri had the 6th lowest cost of living in the United States for the 4th quarter of 2020. In general, the most expensive areas to live were Hawaii, Alaska, the Northeast, and the West Coast. The least expensive areas were the Midwest and Southern states. For the past 16 quarters, Missouri has been in the top 10 for lowest cost of living in the nation.
Business Index Shows Continued Expansion
Missouri’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for December was 67.2, decreasing 8.4 points from November, but still well in expansion territory, according to the monthly Mid-America Business Conditions Survey, conducted by Creighton University, Omaha, NE. For the eighth straight month, the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Minnesota to Arkansas, remained above growth neutral since the beginning of the pandemic. Economists consider the index, which measures such factors as new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders and exports, a key economic indicator. Typically, a score greater than 50 indicates an expansionary economy while a score below 50 forecasts a sluggish economy.
December Jobs Report for Missouri
Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased again in December 2020, but a large increase in the civilian labor force sent unemployment higher. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 10,400 jobs over the month, and over-the year job losses from COVID-19 shutdowns fell below 100,000. However, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 1.3 percentage points from November 2020 to December 2020 as the civilian labor force increased by more than 70,000 over the month. See the new 2021 Unemployment Release Schedule, December unemployment data in PDF form, and explore additional unemployment data from the MERIC Current Employment Situation webpage.
Exports from Across Missouri
Each of Missouri’s eight metropolitan areas exported goods internationally in 2019, according to data recently released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Exports included goods from plastics and rubber products manufacturing from the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL MSA to chemical manufacturing products from the St. Joseph, MO-KS MSA. Industry and trade partner details are now available for the Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield, St. Joseph, and St. Louis MSAs.
Personal Income Increases
In 2019, Missouri’s total personal income, which is a measure of the income received by all persons from net earnings, property interest income, and transfer payments, reached $296.6 billion – an increase of 3.5 percent from 2018. The nation’s personal income increased 3.9 percent to $17.8 trillion. Per capita income in Missouri was $48,656 in 2019, up 3.3 percent from 2018. U.S. per capita income was $56,490. View the full report to see updated data for all states.
2019 County Per Capita Personal Income
Missouri’s per capita income in 2019 was $48,656. Recently released data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show there were six counties in Missouri with a higher per capita income than the state average: St. Louis, Platte, St. Charles, Holt, Carroll, and Clay. Use this data to help understand county and regional differences in payroll and earnings, spending power, and general economic trends in local-level economies around the state.
New Statewide Employer Survey Released
A state’s employers and workforce are economic drivers of its success, and Missouri has over 200,000 payroll employers who provide jobs for 2.73 million people. In the Missouri Workforce 2020 Employer Survey, a representative sample of businesses provided insight into workforce trends, barriers to expanding employment, and future staffing, training, and support needs. Employers also provided valuable feedback on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Missouri businesses. Compare the results from the 2019 survey, as well as differences between metro and non-metro areas in the full report.
Winter Holiday Fun Facts
MERIC has gathered various fun facts covering all of your holiday favorites: snowfall chances, shopping, tree selection and more. Have yourself a warm and wondrous holiday season!
BLS Releases New Business Data
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has released new data on how U.S. businesses changed their operations and employment since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic through September 2020. This information, combined with data collected by other current BLS surveys, will aid in understanding how businesses responded during the pandemic. Other BLS statistics collected and published during the pandemic show changes in employment, wages, job openings and terminations, employer-provided benefits, and health and safety. The new data provides more insight by asking employers directly what they experienced as a result of the pandemic and how they responded. Click on the above link to learn more about this data.
Holiday Retail Sales 2020
Retail sales during the winter holidays are a good indicator of economic activity and consumer sentiment. Over 52 million people work in retail, making it the number one job sector in the U.S., with a $3.9 trillion contribution to the annual GDP. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), due to the pandemic driving online holiday sales, e-commerce sales are up 36.7 percent in the third quarter of 2020.
MERIC Customer Satisfaction Survey 2020
MERIC is the research unit in the Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, providing innovative analyses and assistance to policymakers and the public. An important part of MERIC’s mission is to provide customer-focused products and seek input to improve and develop products to meet current and future needs. The survey takes only 5 minutes, but will provide MERIC valuable insight on customer preferences.