Trendsights Newsletter

Central Region Profile
The Central Region is comprised of 19 counties in the center of Missouri. This region is home to cities such as Columbia, Mexico, Rolla, Camdenton, Lebanon, and the state capital, Jefferson City. The Central Region workforce has more than 313,700 employees, making up 10.7 percent of Missouri’s employment. The largest employing industries in the region are Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Educational Services.
Information Technology Skills
Employment in Information Technology occupations is projected to grow by 14.2 percent from 2020‐2030. From Feb.1, 2022, to Jan.31, 2023, there were over 76,000 online job ads for Computer and Mathematical occupations. Software development and programming skills are highly valued in these occupations, and the majority of job ads requested proficiency in various programming languages such as SQL, Java, and Python. Learn more about these occupations and the industries and employers hiring for them in this report.
2022-2024 Short-Term Industry Projections Released
New short-term industry projections have been released for Missouri and the St. Louis and Kansas City regions. The projections data shows the fastest and largest growing industries by 3-digit NAICS code. For Missouri, Warehousing and Storage is projected to have the fastest employment growth from 2022 to 2024. Click on the link above to view the data for other industries.
County Populations Estimates for 2022
St. Louis County is Missouri’s most populous county with more than 990,000 residents, according to new 2022 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population in the county declined by 7,813 compared to 2021. St. Charles County had the largest population growth, adding 3,292 residents during the year. Greene, Platte, Boone, Christian, and Lincoln counties also added more than 1,500 residents each from 2021 to 2022. Data for all of Missouri counties is available in the newly released population datasets.
Census Data GEM: How to Access Veteran Data
Did you know the U.S. Census Bureau collects and aggregates detailed demographic, social, economic, and even business ownership data about the veteran population? See this how-to-video to learn how to access resources that contain veteran data, including the Veteran Profile from the American Community Survey and the veteran business ownership data from the Annual Business Survey.
West Central Region Profile
The West Central Region is comprised of 13 counties in the west central part of Missouri. This region is home to cities including Warrensburg, Sedalia, Lexington, Clinton, and Nevada. The West Central Region workforce has more than 121,400 employees, making up 4.1 percent of Missouri’s employment. The largest employing industries in the region are Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, and Retail Trade.
February Online Job Postings by Region
There were 66,640 new job postings in Missouri in February 2023, according to data from Lightcast™. This was down from 88,440 in January 2023. General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Restaurants and Other Eating Places, and Colleges, Universities, and other Professional Schools were the industries with the most new job postings in the state during the month. The St. Louis Region had the most job postings of any region in the state with 26,730.
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists and Technicians
Occupational health and safety specialists and technicians collect data about, as well as analyze many types of work environments and work procedures. Specialists inspect workplaces for adherence to regulations on safety, health, and the environment. Technicians work with specialists in conducting tests and measuring hazards to help prevent harm to workers, property, the environment, and the general public. The median annual wage for occupational health and safety specialists in Missouri was $74,270 in 2021 and requires a four-year degree and extensive training. The median annual wage for occupational health and safety technicians in Missouri was $61,400 and requires an associate degree or a high school diploma and on-the-job training. Learn more about these occupations at the link above.
Annual Business Applications by State and County
Business applications increased by 20.3 percent in Missouri in 2021, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, reaching a total of more than 84,000 for the year. Top counties included St. Louis County with 19,712, followed by Jackson County (13,209) and St. Louis City County (7,781). Data for each Missouri county is available in this new report.
Missouri Exports Rise in 2022
Exports from Missouri to other countries rose by 3.8 percent from 2021 to 2022, totaling over $6.1 billion. Over half of all Missouri’s export income came from the top three recipient countries in 2022. Canada purchased just under $5.7 billion in goods, followed by Mexico ($3.4 billion), and Germany ($679 million). Brazil had the largest percentage increase in exports from 2021 to 2022 with growth of 12 percent followed by Netherlands (10%) and Canada (9%).
Missouri Internet Access Survey Open
The University of Missouri Extension and Office of Broadband Development are conducting a survey about internet access in Missouri to help guide internet expansion and training efforts in the state. Complete this short, six-minute survey to make sure the internet access and experience in your area is included in the study.
State Business Index Rises
Missouri’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for February was 52.7, increasing 10.6 points from January, according to the monthly Mid-America Business Conditions Survey, conducted by Creighton University, Omaha, NE. The Mid American Business Survey rebounded to its highest level since July of 2022, after three consecutive months of sluggish index numbers. Economists consider the index a key economic indicator. It measures such factors as new orders, production, supplier delivery times, backlogs, inventories, prices, employment, import orders and exports. Typically, a score greater than 50 indicates an expansionary economy while a score below 50 forecasts a sluggish economy.
Missouri County-to-County Migration
The Missouri Census Data Center (MCDC) in conjunction with the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) has published maps showing county-to-county migration in Missouri. There are two different maps – one for inward county-level migration and one for outward county-level migration. The data originates from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey and covers the period from 2015 to 2019. Click on the link above to learn more about where people are moving in Missouri.
Northwest Region Profile
The Northwest Region is comprised of 18 counties in the northwest corner of Missouri. The region is home to several cities including St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Trenton, and Maryville. The Northwest Region workforce has almost 119,000 employees, making up 4.1 percent of Missouri’s employment. In 2021, 48.4 percent of the workforce was female and 51.6 percent was male. Click on the link above to learn more about this region.
Cost of Living Annual Average for 2022
Missouri had the 6th lowest cost of living in the United States for 2022. 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. MERIC derives the cost of living index for each state by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state. Missouri’s cost of living index for 2022 was 89.1. Of the participating metropolitan areas in Missouri, Joplin had the lowest cost of living with an index of 82.0.
Southeast Region Profile
The Southeast Region is comprised of 13 counties in the southeast portion of Missouri. The region is home to several cities including Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Caruthersville, and Park Hills. The Southeast Region workforce has more than 157,200 employees, making up 5.4 percent of Missouri’s employment. Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employing industry in the region, even though it lost 1,377 in employment in 2021 when compared to 2017. Manufacturing is the second largest industry, followed by Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services.
Community Explorer Tool by County
The Milken Institute’s Community Explorer tool provides an interactive display of a wide variety of data—from economic and demographic numbers to education, housing, and health features— at the county level. This tool can be used to look at all data for one county or to compare counties by the individual data points.
Real Time Labor Market Summaries October to December 2022
Missouri employers posted 224,160 job ads from October through December 2022, with 77 percent for full-time positions. Health Care and Social Assistance was the industry with the largest number of job postings, making up 25 percent of the total. The St. Louis Region had more than 95,000 job postings in the quarter, which was the most of any region. See summaries for the state and each region in these quarterly briefs by clicking on the link above.
Census Economic Indicators Dashboard
The U.S. Census Bureau's economic indicator surveys provide monthly and quarterly data that are timely, reliable, and offer comprehensive measures of the U.S. economy. These surveys produce a variety of statistics covering construction, housing, international trade, retail trade, wholesale trade, services, and manufacturing. A new dashboard of these indicators provides a quick look at the most current trend for each indicator, as well as the next planned release.
Valentine's Day Fun Facts 2023
Valentine's Day spending is predicted to total $25.9 billion in the U.S., with average spending of $192.80 per person, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2023 Valentine’s Day Consumer Survey. In Missouri, chocolate and candy exports topped $10.6 million in 2021. 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.
Business Formations Decline in U.S. in December
Business Formation Statistics (BFS) provided by the U.S. Census Bureau measure business initiation activity and the cycle from initiation to realized business formation. These statistics give an early look at business formation activity within the U.S. and a detailed look at the state level and regional levels. Business applications in the U.S. for December 2022, adjusted for seasonal variation, were 417,055. This was a decrease of 0.3 percent compared to November 2022.
Kansas City Region Profile
The Kansas City Region is comprised of five counties in the west central part of Missouri. The region is home to several cities including Kansas City and Independence. The Kansas City Region workforce has almost 591,200 employees, making up 20.2 percent of Missouri’s employment. Health Care and Social Assistance; Retail Trade; and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services industries are the largest employing industries in the region.
FRED Poverty Graphing Tool for 2021 Data
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) has a new graphing tool for the comparison of county-level poverty data. The tool provides a quick way to track rates by county, create your own graph, and compare the trends over time.
Ozark Region Profile
The Ozark Region is comprised of seven counties in the southwest quadrant of Missouri. This region is home to several cities including Springfield, Branson, Nixa, and Marshfield. The Ozark Region workforce has more than 266,700 employees, making up 9.1 percent of Missouri’s employment. In 2021, 48.9 percent of the workforce was female and 51.1 percent was male, which is about same percentage as Missouri. Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employing industry in the Ozark Region, showing consistent growth over the years. Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services are next largest employing industries.