Data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics brings both positive and negative information to light about unemployment in the St. Louis Mo. - Ill. Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Some areas of industry gained jobs, while others lost, and, though the unemployment rate for the area in January 2011 was slightly higher than the national average, total employment in the area has gone up slightly over the past year.
According to the data, which is not seasonally adjusted (except where noted):
- An unemployment rate of 10.0 percent in January 2011 - which is slightly higher than the national rate of 9.8 percent in January 2011, and 9.0 percent seasonally adjusted.
- Total nonfarm employment in the St. Louis metropolitan area stood at 1,270,200 in January 2011, up 8,300 jobs (0.7 percent) over the year. Nationally, nonfarm employment rose 0.7 percent from one year ago.
- Three of the ten industry supersectors in the St. Louis area added over 1,000 jobs from January 2010 to January 2011—education and health services (5,200), leisure and hospitality (3,000), and trade, transportation, and utilities (1,300).
- The rates of job growth in two of these sectors—education and health services (2.4 percent) and leisure and hospitality (2.3 percent) outpaced their national rates, 2.1 and 0.7 percent, respectively.
- In contrast, two industry supersectors lost more than 1,000 jobs over the year—government (-1,200) and mining, logging, and construction (-1,100).
- Seasonally adjusted, total nonfarm employment in the St. Louis area was up 5,700 (0.4 percent) from December 2010 to January 2011.
Here are the full data tables released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the St. Louis area. For historical information, hold down your control key and click on the dinosaur icons next to each data item:
