Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate

Lawrence County had the highest job destruction rate of 115 counties in 2018, at 53.812%. Sullivan County had the lowest, at 3.94%. The median was 10.29% and the figure for Missouri was 11.521%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest53.812Lawrence County
Lowest3.94Sullivan County
Median10.29115 counties
Missouri11.521History

Map of counties, 2018

Adair County: 9.014 %Andrew County: 10.366 %Atchison County: 15.681 %Audrain County: 14.094 %Barry County: 16.383 %Barton County: 11.042 %Bates County: 9.468 %Benton County: 12.688 %Bollinger County: 10.572 %Boone County: 12.529 %Buchanan County: 9.345 %Butler County: 11.158 %Caldwell County: 9.578 %Callaway County: 10.044 %Camden County: 15.068 %Cape Girardeau County: 9.722 %Carroll County: 7.699 %Carter County: 7.603 %Cass County: 13.143 %Cedar County: 9.534 %Chariton County: 8.66 %Christian County: 11.496 %Clark County: 10.085 %Clay County: 8.871 %Clinton County: 12.461 %Cole County: 12.008 %Cooper County: 12.099 %Crawford County: 11.743 %Dade County: 7.53 %Dallas County: 29.257 %Daviess County: 10.763 %DeKalb County: 10.671 %Dent County: 9.548 %Douglas County: 7.311 %Dunklin County: 9.55 %Franklin County: 9.541 %Gasconade County: 6.767 %Gentry County: 9.677 %Greene County: 10.134 %Grundy County: 14.099 %Harrison County: 8.987 %Henry County: 10.29 %Hickory County: 9.563 %Holt County: 7.383 %Howard County: 5.633 %Howell County: 11.574 %Iron County: 13.524 %Jackson County: 10.802 %Jasper County: 10.436 %Jefferson County: 10.121 %Johnson County: 10.366 %Knox County: 14.168 %Laclede County: 8.582 %Lafayette County: 14.418 %Lawrence County: 53.812 %Lewis County: 13.248 %Lincoln County: 9.631 %Linn County: 7.253 %Livingston County: 10.66 %McDonald County: 6.549 %Macon County: 9.557 %Madison County: 7.664 %Maries County: 10.928 %Marion County: 13.335 %Mercer County: 11.415 %Miller County: 10.708 %Mississippi County: 10.27 %Moniteau County: 12.506 %Monroe County: 23.384 %Montgomery County: 9.241 %Morgan County: 14.434 %New Madrid County: 17.302 %Newton County: 8.85 %Nodaway County: 10.208 %Oregon County: 9.948 %Osage County: 10.943 %Ozark County: 10.957 %Pemiscot County: 7.698 %Perry County: 9.828 %Pettis County: 9.71 %Phelps County: 11.162 %Pike County: 30.759 %Platte County: 10.354 %Polk County: 9.342 %Pulaski County: 13.026 %Putnam County: 17.04 %Ralls County: 7.258 %Randolph County: 9.42 %Ray County: 8.61 %Reynolds County: 6.333 %Ripley County: 10.379 %St. Charles County: 10.28 %St. Clair County: 11.325 %Ste. Genevieve County: 6.836 %St. Francois County: 9.199 %St. Louis County: 12.863 %Saline County: 6.717 %Schuyler County: 11.166 %Scotland County: 8.29 %Scott County: 9.251 %Shannon County: 12.155 %Shelby County: 11.148 %Stoddard County: 8.074 %Stone County: 9.922 %Sullivan County: 3.94 %Taney County: 14.182 %Texas County: 7.792 %Vernon County: 9.757 %Warren County: 10.147 %Washington County: 12.275 %Wayne County: 9.414 %Webster County: 10.774 %Worth County: 13.149 %Wright County: 15.812 %St. Louis city: 11.379 %
  • Under 8.6
  • 8.6 to 9.6
  • 9.6 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2018. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2018

Lawrence County: 53.812 %Lawrence County53.812Pike County: 30.759 %Pike County30.759Dallas County: 29.257 %Dallas County29.257Monroe County: 23.384 %Monroe County23.384New Madrid County: 17.302 %New Madrid County17.302Putnam County: 17.04 %Putnam County17.04Barry County: 16.383 %Barry County16.383Wright County: 15.812 %Wright County15.812Atchison County: 15.681 %Atchison County15.681Camden County: 15.068 %Camden County15.068Morgan County: 14.434 %Morgan County14.434Lafayette County: 14.418 %Lafayette County14.418Taney County: 14.182 %Taney County14.182Knox County: 14.168 %Knox County14.168Grundy County: 14.099 %Grundy County14.099Audrain County: 14.094 %Audrain County14.094Iron County: 13.524 %Iron County13.524Marion County: 13.335 %Marion County13.335Lewis County: 13.248 %Lewis County13.248Worth County: 13.149 %Worth County13.149Cass County: 13.143 %Cass County13.143Pulaski County: 13.026 %Pulaski County13.026St. Louis County: 12.863 %St. Louis County12.863Benton County: 12.688 %Benton County12.688Boone County: 12.529 %Boone County12.529Moniteau County: 12.506 %Moniteau County12.506Clinton County: 12.461 %Clinton County12.461Washington County: 12.275 %Washington County12.275Shannon County: 12.155 %Shannon County12.155Cooper County: 12.099 %Cooper County12.099Cole County: 12.008 %Cole County12.008Crawford County: 11.743 %Crawford County11.743Howell County: 11.574 %Howell County11.574Christian County: 11.496 %Christian County11.496Mercer County: 11.415 %Mercer County11.415St. Louis city: 11.379 %St. Louis city11.379St. Clair County: 11.325 %St. Clair County11.325Schuyler County: 11.166 %Schuyler County11.166Phelps County: 11.162 %Phelps County11.162Butler County: 11.158 %Butler County11.158Lawrence County: 53.812 %Lawrence County53.812Pike County: 30.759 %Pike County30.759Dallas County: 29.257 %Dallas County29.257Monroe County: 23.384 %Monroe County23.384New Madrid County: 17.302 %New Madrid County17.302Putnam County: 17.04 %Putnam County17.04Barry County: 16.383 %Barry County16.383Wright County: 15.812 %Wright County15.812Atchison County: 15.681 %Atchison County15.681Camden County: 15.068 %Camden County15.068Morgan County: 14.434 %Morgan County14.434Lafayette County: 14.418 %Lafayette County14.418Taney County: 14.182 %Taney County14.182Knox County: 14.168 %Knox County14.168Grundy County: 14.099 %Grundy County14.099Audrain County: 14.094 %Audrain County14.094Iron County: 13.524 %Iron County13.524Marion County: 13.335 %Marion County13.335Lewis County: 13.248 %Lewis County13.248Worth County: 13.149 %Worth County13.149Cass County: 13.143 %Cass County13.143Pulaski County: 13.026 %Pulaski County13.026St. Louis County: 12.863 %St. Louis County12.863Benton County: 12.688 %Benton County12.688Boone County: 12.529 %Boone County12.529Moniteau County: 12.506 %Moniteau County12.506Clinton County: 12.461 %Clinton County12.461Washington County: 12.275 %Washington County12.275Shannon County: 12.155 %Shannon County12.155Cooper County: 12.099 %Cooper County12.099Cole County: 12.008 %Cole County12.008Crawford County: 11.743 %Crawford County11.743Howell County: 11.574 %Howell County11.574Christian County: 11.496 %Christian County11.496Mercer County: 11.415 %Mercer County11.415St. Louis city: 11.379 %St. Louis city11.379St. Clair County: 11.325 %St. Clair County11.325Schuyler County: 11.166 %Schuyler County11.166Phelps County: 11.162 %Phelps County11.162Butler County: 11.158 %Butler County11.158
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Lawrence County53.812+36.63 pts
2Pike County30.759+22.04 pts
3Dallas County29.257+15.1 pts
4Monroe County23.384+14.51 pts
5New Madrid County17.302-13.44 pts
6Putnam County17.04+10.74 pts
7Barry County16.383+9.31 pts
8Wright County15.812+3 pts
9Atchison County15.681+3.85 pts
10Camden County15.068+3.58 pts
11Morgan County14.434+1.35 pts
12Lafayette County14.418+1.87 pts
13Taney County14.182+2 pts
14Knox County14.168+3.2 pts
15Grundy County14.099+0.27 pts
16Audrain County14.094+2.04 pts
17Iron County13.524+5.74 pts
18Marion County13.335+4.54 pts
19Lewis County13.248+6.53 pts
20Worth County13.149-3.68 pts
21Cass County13.143+1.69 pts
22Pulaski County13.026+1.86 pts
23St. Louis County12.863+1.22 pts
24Benton County12.688+3.86 pts
25Boone County12.529+1.76 pts
26Moniteau County12.506+2.6 pts
27Clinton County12.461+1.83 pts
28Washington County12.275-0.6 pts
29Shannon County12.155-3.97 pts
30Cooper County12.099+0.92 pts
31Cole County12.008+0.49 pts
32Crawford County11.743+1.19 pts
33Howell County11.574+1.55 pts
34Christian County11.496-1.13 pts
35Mercer County11.415-7.89 pts
36St. Louis city11.379+0.9 pts
37St. Clair County11.325-4.71 pts
38Schuyler County11.166-1.99 pts
39Phelps County11.162+1.04 pts
40Butler County11.158+1.33 pts
41Shelby County11.148+2.12 pts
42Barton County11.042-9.56 pts
43Ozark County10.957-4.02 pts
44Osage County10.943+1.6 pts
45Maries County10.928+0.32 pts
46Jackson County10.802-1.21 pts
47Webster County10.774-4.07 pts
48Daviess County10.763-5.48 pts
49Miller County10.708-0.03 pts
50DeKalb County10.671+2.06 pts
51Livingston County10.66+3.5 pts
52Bollinger County10.572-3.52 pts
53Jasper County10.436-0.57 pts
54Ripley County10.379-0.36 pts
55Andrew County10.366-9.51 pts
55Johnson County10.366-4.35 pts
57Platte County10.354-1.06 pts
58Henry County10.29-0.52 pts
59St. Charles County10.28-1.38 pts
60Mississippi County10.27-12.66 pts
61Nodaway County10.208-3.76 pts
62Warren County10.147-0.83 pts
63Greene County10.134-1.14 pts
64Jefferson County10.121-2.01 pts
65Clark County10.085+0.12 pts
66Callaway County10.044-4.64 pts
67Oregon County9.948-8.4 pts
68Stone County9.922-0.17 pts
69Perry County9.828+0.38 pts
70Vernon County9.757-0.54 pts
71Cape Girardeau County9.722-0.04 pts
72Pettis County9.71-0.33 pts
73Gentry County9.677-1.82 pts
74Lincoln County9.631-1.12 pts
75Caldwell County9.578+1.52 pts
76Hickory County9.563-4.69 pts
77Macon County9.557-4.32 pts
78Dunklin County9.55-3.99 pts
79Dent County9.548-1.36 pts
80Franklin County9.541-0.25 pts
81Cedar County9.534-3.46 pts
82Bates County9.468-0.88 pts
83Randolph County9.42-2.93 pts
84Wayne County9.414-8.91 pts
85Buchanan County9.345-3.2 pts
86Polk County9.342+2.96 pts
87Scott County9.251-0.76 pts
88Montgomery County9.241-7.24 pts
89St. Francois County9.199-4.36 pts
90Adair County9.014-6.21 pts
91Harrison County8.987-3.5 pts
92Clay County8.871-0.45 pts
93Newton County8.85-0.05 pts
94Chariton County8.66-0.43 pts
95Ray County8.61-1.54 pts
96Laclede County8.582-0.84 pts
97Scotland County8.29+0.05 pts
98Stoddard County8.074-1.95 pts
99Texas County7.792-7.04 pts
100Carroll County7.699-2.69 pts
101Pemiscot County7.698-12.41 pts
102Madison County7.664-9.4 pts
103Carter County7.603-5.58 pts
104Dade County7.53-3.12 pts
105Holt County7.383-5.5 pts
106Douglas County7.311-2.72 pts
107Ralls County7.258-0.78 pts
108Linn County7.253-7.73 pts
109Ste. Genevieve County6.836-3.32 pts
110Gasconade County6.767-7.7 pts
111Saline County6.717-8 pts
112McDonald County6.549-4.61 pts
113Reynolds County6.333-3.33 pts
114Howard County5.633-4.07 pts
115Sullivan County3.94-0.75 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/missouri-counties?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/missouri-counties?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/missouri-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate, 2018}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/missouri-counties?period=2018. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Missouri by job destruction rate, 2018
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/missouri-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/missouri-counties?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Lawrence County, with 53.812% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Sullivan County, with 3.94% in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings