Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW)

St. Louis County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 115 counties in 2016, at 598,815 jobs. Worth County had the lowest, at 373 jobs. The median was 5,282 jobs and the figure for Missouri was 2,755,477 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest598,815St. Louis County
Lowest373Worth County
Median5,282115 counties
Missouri2,755,477History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 9,748 jobsAndrew County: 2,381 jobsAtchison County: 1,633 jobsAudrain County: 9,399 jobsBarry County: 14,084 jobsBarton County: 3,230 jobsBates County: 3,644 jobsBenton County: 3,588 jobsBollinger County: 1,816 jobsBoone County: 92,461 jobsBuchanan County: 47,456 jobsButler County: 19,021 jobsCaldwell County: 1,721 jobsCallaway County: 14,323 jobsCamden County: 16,517 jobsCape Girardeau County: 40,483 jobsCarroll County: 2,367 jobsCarter County: 1,457 jobsCass County: 25,608 jobsCedar County: 3,158 jobsChariton County: 1,864 jobsChristian County: 16,770 jobsClark County: 1,408 jobsClay County: 102,606 jobsClinton County: 4,010 jobsCole County: 52,844 jobsCooper County: 4,957 jobsCrawford County: 6,615 jobsDade County: 1,695 jobsDallas County: 2,432 jobsDaviess County: 1,497 jobsDeKalb County: 3,618 jobsDent County: 3,819 jobsDouglas County: 2,356 jobsDunklin County: 9,655 jobsFranklin County: 39,100 jobsGasconade County: 5,282 jobsGentry County: 2,204 jobsGreene County: 162,887 jobsGrundy County: 3,438 jobsHarrison County: 2,603 jobsHenry County: 7,421 jobsHickory County: 1,237 jobsHolt County: 1,265 jobsHoward County: 2,664 jobsHowell County: 14,879 jobsIron County: 3,686 jobsJackson County: 363,137 jobsJasper County: 60,108 jobsJefferson County: 47,785 jobsJohnson County: 15,601 jobsKnox County: 1,098 jobsLaclede County: 13,299 jobsLafayette County: 8,616 jobsLawrence County: 8,936 jobsLewis County: 2,624 jobsLincoln County: 11,562 jobsLinn County: 3,920 jobsLivingston County: 6,208 jobsMcDonald County: 6,973 jobsMacon County: 5,064 jobsMadison County: 3,645 jobsMaries County: 1,222 jobsMarion County: 13,422 jobsMercer County: 1,755 jobsMiller County: 6,827 jobsMississippi County: 3,948 jobsMoniteau County: 4,089 jobsMonroe County: 2,009 jobsMontgomery County: 2,882 jobsMorgan County: 4,212 jobsNew Madrid County: 6,704 jobsNewton County: 16,952 jobsNodaway County: 7,656 jobsOregon County: 2,330 jobsOsage County: 3,568 jobsOzark County: 1,556 jobsPemiscot County: 5,888 jobsPerry County: 9,657 jobsPettis County: 19,264 jobsPhelps County: 17,990 jobsPike County: 5,965 jobsPlatte County: 44,415 jobsPolk County: 8,233 jobsPulaski County: 12,955 jobsPutnam County: 976 jobsRalls County: 3,508 jobsRandolph County: 9,663 jobsRay County: 4,293 jobsReynolds County: 1,670 jobsRipley County: 2,876 jobsSt. Charles County: 143,850 jobsSt. Clair County: 1,650 jobsSte. Genevieve County: 5,412 jobsSt. Francois County: 22,930 jobsSt. Louis County: 598,815 jobsSaline County: 8,638 jobsSchuyler County: 606 jobsScotland County: 1,181 jobsScott County: 15,209 jobsShannon County: 1,439 jobsShelby County: 1,725 jobsStoddard County: 10,184 jobsStone County: 5,611 jobsSullivan County: 2,372 jobsTaney County: 29,167 jobsTexas County: 5,649 jobsVernon County: 6,873 jobsWarren County: 7,117 jobsWashington County: 4,994 jobsWayne County: 2,759 jobsWebster County: 6,734 jobsWorth County: 373 jobsWright County: 4,139 jobsSt. Louis city: 225,643 jobs
  • Under 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 18K
  • 18K and over
jobs, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

St. Louis County: 598,815 jobsSt. Louis County598,815Jackson County: 363,137 jobsJackson County363,137St. Louis city: 225,643 jobsSt. Louis city225,643Greene County: 162,887 jobsGreene County162,887St. Charles County: 143,850 jobsSt. Charles County143,850Clay County: 102,606 jobsClay County102,606Boone County: 92,461 jobsBoone County92,461Jasper County: 60,108 jobsJasper County60,108Cole County: 52,844 jobsCole County52,844Jefferson County: 47,785 jobsJefferson County47,785Buchanan County: 47,456 jobsBuchanan County47,456Platte County: 44,415 jobsPlatte County44,415Cape Girardeau County: 40,483 jobsCape Girardeau County40,483Franklin County: 39,100 jobsFranklin County39,100Taney County: 29,167 jobsTaney County29,167Cass County: 25,608 jobsCass County25,608St. Francois County: 22,930 jobsSt. Francois County22,930Pettis County: 19,264 jobsPettis County19,264Butler County: 19,021 jobsButler County19,021Phelps County: 17,990 jobsPhelps County17,990Newton County: 16,952 jobsNewton County16,952Christian County: 16,770 jobsChristian County16,770Camden County: 16,517 jobsCamden County16,517Johnson County: 15,601 jobsJohnson County15,601Scott County: 15,209 jobsScott County15,209Howell County: 14,879 jobsHowell County14,879Callaway County: 14,323 jobsCallaway County14,323Barry County: 14,084 jobsBarry County14,084Marion County: 13,422 jobsMarion County13,422Laclede County: 13,299 jobsLaclede County13,299Pulaski County: 12,955 jobsPulaski County12,955Lincoln County: 11,562 jobsLincoln County11,562Stoddard County: 10,184 jobsStoddard County10,184Adair County: 9,748 jobsAdair County9,748Randolph County: 9,663 jobsRandolph County9,663Perry County: 9,657 jobsPerry County9,657Dunklin County: 9,655 jobsDunklin County9,655Audrain County: 9,399 jobsAudrain County9,399Lawrence County: 8,936 jobsLawrence County8,936Saline County: 8,638 jobsSaline County8,638St. Louis County: 598,815 jobsSt. Louis County598,815Jackson County: 363,137 jobsJackson County363,137St. Louis city: 225,643 jobsSt. Louis city225,643Greene County: 162,887 jobsGreene County162,887St. Charles County: 143,850 jobsSt. Charles County143,850Clay County: 102,606 jobsClay County102,606Boone County: 92,461 jobsBoone County92,461Jasper County: 60,108 jobsJasper County60,108Cole County: 52,844 jobsCole County52,844Jefferson County: 47,785 jobsJefferson County47,785Buchanan County: 47,456 jobsBuchanan County47,456Platte County: 44,415 jobsPlatte County44,415Cape Girardeau County: 40,483 jobsCape Girardeau County40,483Franklin County: 39,100 jobsFranklin County39,100Taney County: 29,167 jobsTaney County29,167Cass County: 25,608 jobsCass County25,608St. Francois County: 22,930 jobsSt. Francois County22,930Pettis County: 19,264 jobsPettis County19,264Butler County: 19,021 jobsButler County19,021Phelps County: 17,990 jobsPhelps County17,990Newton County: 16,952 jobsNewton County16,952Christian County: 16,770 jobsChristian County16,770Camden County: 16,517 jobsCamden County16,517Johnson County: 15,601 jobsJohnson County15,601Scott County: 15,209 jobsScott County15,209Howell County: 14,879 jobsHowell County14,879Callaway County: 14,323 jobsCallaway County14,323Barry County: 14,084 jobsBarry County14,084Marion County: 13,422 jobsMarion County13,422Laclede County: 13,299 jobsLaclede County13,299Pulaski County: 12,955 jobsPulaski County12,955Lincoln County: 11,562 jobsLincoln County11,562Stoddard County: 10,184 jobsStoddard County10,184Adair County: 9,748 jobsAdair County9,748Randolph County: 9,663 jobsRandolph County9,663Perry County: 9,657 jobsPerry County9,657Dunklin County: 9,655 jobsDunklin County9,655Audrain County: 9,399 jobsAudrain County9,399Lawrence County: 8,936 jobsLawrence County8,936Saline County: 8,638 jobsSaline County8,638
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
jobs
Change on 2015
1St. Louis County598,815+1.3%
2Jackson County363,137+1.4%
3St. Louis city225,643-0.1%
4Greene County162,887+1%
5St. Charles County143,850+3.1%
6Clay County102,606+5.2%
7Boone County92,461+1.1%
8Jasper County60,108+0.5%
9Cole County52,844+2.3%
10Jefferson County47,785+2.4%
11Buchanan County47,456+0.8%
12Platte County44,415+7%
13Cape Girardeau County40,483+0.4%
14Franklin County39,100+3.9%
15Taney County29,167+2.1%
16Cass County25,608+1.7%
17St. Francois County22,930+0.8%
18Pettis County19,264-0.5%
19Butler County19,021+0.3%
20Phelps County17,990+1.7%
21Newton County16,952-0.5%
22Christian County16,770+1%
23Camden County16,517+1.7%
24Johnson County15,601+2.3%
25Scott County15,209-0.6%
26Howell County14,879-0.8%
27Callaway County14,323+1%
28Barry County14,084+3%
29Marion County13,422-0.7%
30Laclede County13,299+3.4%
31Pulaski County12,955-1.6%
32Lincoln County11,562+4.2%
33Stoddard County10,184+1.2%
34Adair County9,748+0.5%
35Randolph County9,663+1.9%
36Perry County9,657-0.2%
37Dunklin County9,655-2.9%
38Audrain County9,399-0.9%
39Lawrence County8,936-0.7%
40Saline County8,638-2.2%
41Lafayette County8,616+1.5%
42Polk County8,233+3.3%
43Nodaway County7,656-0.5%
44Henry County7,421-1.9%
45Warren County7,117+1.4%
46McDonald County6,973-0.3%
47Vernon County6,873-2%
48Miller County6,827+5.8%
49Webster County6,734+0.5%
50New Madrid County6,704-10.7%
51Crawford County6,615+0.5%
52Livingston County6,208+0.3%
53Pike County5,965-0.9%
54Pemiscot County5,888+0.2%
55Texas County5,649-0.6%
56Stone County5,611+4.2%
57Ste. Genevieve County5,4120%
58Gasconade County5,282+0.6%
59Macon County5,064+3.9%
60Washington County4,994-2.2%
61Cooper County4,957-0.9%
62Ray County4,293+0.1%
63Morgan County4,212-0.2%
64Wright County4,139-1.1%
65Moniteau County4,089-0.8%
66Clinton County4,010+3.2%
67Mississippi County3,948-1.3%
68Linn County3,920+2%
69Dent County3,819-0.6%
70Iron County3,686-3.4%
71Madison County3,645+0.6%
72Bates County3,644+1.3%
73DeKalb County3,618+2.1%
74Benton County3,588+3.7%
75Osage County3,568-0%
76Ralls County3,508+0.6%
77Grundy County3,438-1.3%
78Barton County3,230+0.4%
79Cedar County3,158-1.9%
80Montgomery County2,882+2.1%
81Ripley County2,876+2.2%
82Wayne County2,759+0.5%
83Howard County2,664+1.6%
84Lewis County2,624-1.6%
85Harrison County2,603+1.3%
86Dallas County2,432+1.1%
87Andrew County2,381-2.2%
88Sullivan County2,372-0.1%
89Carroll County2,367-1.8%
90Douglas County2,356+3.3%
91Oregon County2,330+0.1%
92Gentry County2,204-1.9%
93Monroe County2,009-1.9%
94Chariton County1,864+0.5%
95Bollinger County1,816+0.3%
96Mercer County1,755+0.6%
97Shelby County1,725-0.9%
98Caldwell County1,721+6.1%
99Dade County1,695+1.1%
100Reynolds County1,670-0.2%
101St. Clair County1,650-0.2%
102Atchison County1,633+0.6%
103Ozark County1,556+0.4%
104Daviess County1,497+0.5%
105Carter County1,457+3.8%
106Shannon County1,439+1%
107Clark County1,408-0.9%
108Holt County1,265-2.6%
109Hickory County1,237+0.7%
110Maries County1,222-0.7%
111Scotland County1,181-0.8%
112Knox County1,098+1.5%
113Putnam County976-5.5%
114Schuyler County606-4%
115Worth County373-1.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/missouri-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/missouri-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/missouri-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_missouri_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/missouri-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/missouri-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/missouri-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Missouri by covered employment (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"covered_employment","level":"province","within":"Missouri","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=covered_employment&level=province&within=Missouri&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

St. Louis County, with 598,815 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Worth County, with 373 jobs in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings