JEFFERSON CITY, September 22 — Missouri added 2,100 nonfarm payroll jobs in August 2026, lifting total employment to 3,015,700, according to the state’s monthly jobs report. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 3.5 percent, down from a revised 3.6 percent in July. The gain arrived alongside a downward revision to the prior month.
July’s figure was lowered by 1,300 jobs from the preliminary estimate — a reminder that the headline monthly number is provisional and subject to revision. Figures show the estimated number of unemployed Missourians at 112,415 in August, a decrease of 1,122 from July’s 113,537.
The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.9 percent in August, compared with 4.3 percent a year earlier. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for August 2026 was also 4.3 percent.
Private payrolls drive the gain
Private industry employment increased by 2,400 jobs over the month, while government employment decreased by 300. Within goods-producing industries, employment rose by 1,200, with mining, logging, and construction gaining 2,200 jobs and manufacturing declining by 1,000. Private service-providing industries added 1,200 jobs between July and August.
Gains occurred in trade, transportation, and utilities (1,100 jobs); other services (600); financial activities (200); leisure and hospitality (200); and private education and health services (100). Employment decreased in information (-700) and professional and business services (-300).
Total government employment fell by 300, with decreases of 100 jobs each in local, state, and federal government.
A year of gains, with manufacturing the outlier
Over the year, total payroll employment increased by 34,100 jobs from August 2025 to August 2026, and the unemployment rate decreased by half of a percentage point, from 4 percent to 3.5 percent. Annual gains were led by private education and health services (9,100 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (9,100), followed by mining, logging, and construction (8,900); trade, transportation, and utilities (4,700); professional and business services (4,700); financial activities (400); and information (100). Employment decreased in manufacturing (-500) and other services (-400).
Government employment decreased by 2,000 over the year, with a decline in federal government (-4,200) and increases in local (1,900) and state (300) government. The federal pullback stands out against the broader expansion.
Missouri’s seasonally adjusted rate of 3.5 percent was six-tenths of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 4.1 percent. The state’s unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for more than 11 years. Labor force participation was 63.3 percent in August, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national rate of 61.6 percent.
The employment-population ratio was 61 percent, 1.9 percentage points higher than the national rate of 59.1 percent. The full report is available at https://meric.mo.gov/missouri-monthly-jobs-report.
Next month’s release will show whether the August gain holds or follows July into revision, and whether manufacturing’s decline extends into a second month.
