Columbia, Missouri Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Columbia fell 0.2 percentage points in December 2011 to 5.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 2.5 percentage points lower than the Missouri rate. The unemployment rate in Columbia peaked in August 2009 at 6.7% and is now 1.2 percentage points lower. You can also compare Columbia unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate	December 2011	Month/Month	Year/Year
National	8.5%	-0.2	-0.9
Missouri	8.0%	-0.2	-1.6
Columbia	5.5%	-0.2	-1.2

Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.¹ All comparisons are made with December 2011 data as January metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Columbia, Missouri, National

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Columbia, Missouri Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Columbia peaked in December 2010 at 6,293. There are now 953 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Columbia employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Columbia, Missouri) is also available.

Unemployed Persons	December 2011	Month/Month	Year/Year
Columbia	5,340	-138	-953

Number of Unemployed Persons

Columbia, Missouri Unemployment History

Date	National Unemployment Rate	Missouri Unemployment Rate	Columbia Unemployment Rate	Columbia Unemployed
January 2012	8.3%	—	—	—
December 2011	8.5%	8.0%	5.5%	5,340
November 2011	8.7%	8.2%	5.7%	5,478
October 2011	8.9%	8.5%	5.9%	5,652
September 2011	9.0%	8.7%	6.0%	5,728
August 2011	9.1%	8.8%	6.2%	5,861
July 2011	9.1%	8.7%	6.3%	5,879
June 2011	9.1%	8.8%	6.4%	6,026
May 2011	9.0%	8.9%	6.4%	6,101
April 2011	9.0%	8.9%	6.3%	6,045
March 2011	8.9%	9.1%	6.3%	6,007
February 2011	9.0%	9.4%	6.5%	6,194
January 2011	9.1%	9.5%	6.6%	6,290