Counties in Missouri by unemployment rate

Ozark County had the highest unemployment rate of 115 counties in March 2026, at 7%. Osage County had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 4.2% and the figure for Missouri was 3.9%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest7Ozark County
Median4.2115 counties
Missouri3.9History

Top 40 counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Ozark CountyOzark County: 7 %7Shannon CountyShannon County: 6.6 %6.6Taney CountyTaney County: 6.5 %6.5Pemiscot CountyPemiscot County: 6.3 %6.3Hickory CountyHickory County: 6.2 %6.2Wayne CountyWayne County: 6.2 %6.2Mississippi CountyMississippi County: 6.1 %6.1Stone CountyStone County: 6 %6Dunklin CountyDunklin County: 5.8 %5.8Butler CountyButler County: 5.5 %5.5Benton CountyBenton County: 5.3 %5.3Camden CountyCamden County: 5.3 %5.3Morgan CountyMorgan County: 5.3 %5.3Adair CountyAdair County: 5.1 %5.1Iron CountyIron County: 5.1 %5.1Knox CountyKnox County: 5.1 %5.1Laclede CountyLaclede County: 5.1 %5.1Lewis CountyLewis County: 5.1 %5.1Madison CountyMadison County: 5.1 %5.1New Madrid CountyNew Madrid County: 5.1 %5.1Macon CountyMacon County: 5 %5St. Francois CountySt. Francois County: 5 %5Washington CountyWashington County: 5 %5Crawford CountyCrawford County: 4.9 %4.9Dallas CountyDallas County: 4.9 %4.9Sullivan CountySullivan County: 4.9 %4.9Wright CountyWright County: 4.9 %4.9St. Louis citySt. Louis city: 4.8 %4.8Reynolds CountyReynolds County: 4.7 %4.7Ripley CountyRipley County: 4.7 %4.7Barry CountyBarry County: 4.6 %4.6Carter CountyCarter County: 4.6 %4.6Cedar CountyCedar County: 4.6 %4.6Douglas CountyDouglas County: 4.6 %4.6Howell CountyHowell County: 4.6 %4.6McDonald CountyMcDonald County: 4.6 %4.6Pike CountyPike County: 4.6 %4.6Stoddard CountyStoddard County: 4.6 %4.6Clark CountyClark County: 4.5 %4.5Oregon CountyOregon County: 4.5 %4.5
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Ozark County7+0.5 pts
2Shannon County6.6-0.1 pts
3Taney County6.5-0.3 pts
4Pemiscot County6.30 pts
5Hickory County6.2-0.9 pts
5Wayne County6.20 pts
7Mississippi County6.1-0.5 pts
8Stone County6-0.5 pts
9Dunklin County5.8+0.1 pts
10Butler County5.5-0.1 pts
11Benton County5.3-0.9 pts
11Camden County5.30 pts
11Morgan County5.3-0.5 pts
14Adair County5.1-0.2 pts
14Iron County5.1-0.3 pts
14Knox County5.1-0.9 pts
14Laclede County5.1-0.3 pts
14Lewis County5.1+0.2 pts
14Madison County5.1-0.3 pts
14New Madrid County5.1-0.3 pts
21Macon County5-0.3 pts
21St. Francois County5-0.2 pts
21Washington County5-0.7 pts
24Crawford County4.9-0.3 pts
24Dallas County4.9-0.5 pts
24Sullivan County4.9+1 pts
24Wright County4.9-0.6 pts
28St. Louis city4.8-0.2 pts
29Reynolds County4.7-0.6 pts
29Ripley County4.7-0.2 pts
31Barry County4.6-0.1 pts
31Carter County4.6-0.4 pts
31Cedar County4.6-0.3 pts
31Douglas County4.6+0.1 pts
31Howell County4.6-0.5 pts
31McDonald County4.6-0.7 pts
31Pike County4.6-0.2 pts
31Stoddard County4.6-0.2 pts
39Clark County4.5-0.8 pts
39Oregon County4.5-0.5 pts
39Texas County4.5-0.3 pts
42Buchanan County4.4-0.2 pts
42Dent County4.4+0.2 pts
42Pulaski County4.4-0.1 pts
42St. Louis County4.40 pts
46Carroll County4.3-0.2 pts
46DeKalb County4.3-0.1 pts
46Grundy County4.3-0.4 pts
46Jackson County4.3-0.4 pts
46Lawrence County4.3-0.3 pts
46Marion County4.3-0.4 pts
46Miller County4.3-0.1 pts
46Monroe County4.3-0.5 pts
54Mercer County4.20 pts
54Polk County4.2-0.4 pts
54Ralls County4.20 pts
54Scott County4.20 pts
54St. Clair County4.2-0.4 pts
54Webster County4.20 pts
60Audrain County4.10 pts
60Clinton County4.1-0.1 pts
60Dade County4.1+0.4 pts
60Harrison County4.1-0.4 pts
60Johnson County4.1-0.3 pts
60Lincoln County4.10 pts
60Phelps County4.1-0.3 pts
67Andrew County4+0.2 pts
67Bates County4-0.7 pts
67Chariton County4-0.2 pts
67Cooper County4+0.2 pts
67Franklin County4-0.2 pts
67Greene County40 pts
67Howard County4-0.4 pts
67Lafayette County4-0.3 pts
67Newton County4-0.4 pts
67Pettis County4-0.1 pts
67Shelby County4-0.1 pts
78Bollinger County3.9-0.6 pts
78Henry County3.9-0.3 pts
78Jasper County3.9-0.3 pts
78Jefferson County3.9-0.2 pts
78Randolph County3.9-0.3 pts
78Ray County3.90 pts
78Warren County3.9-0.1 pts
85Caldwell County3.8-0.5 pts
85Cape Girardeau County3.8-0.1 pts
85Holt County3.8-0.2 pts
85Maries County3.8-0.5 pts
89Barton County3.7-1.3 pts
89Cass County3.7-0.2 pts
89Christian County3.7-0.1 pts
89Linn County3.7-0.7 pts
89Putnam County3.7-0.8 pts
89Saline County3.7-0.2 pts
89Schuyler County3.7-1.3 pts
89Ste. Genevieve County3.7-0.1 pts
89Vernon County3.7-0.6 pts
98Callaway County3.6-0.2 pts
98Clay County3.6-0.2 pts
98Gasconade County3.6-0.4 pts
98Montgomery County3.6-0.3 pts
98Scotland County3.6-0.1 pts
98St. Charles County3.6-0.1 pts
104Boone County3.5-0.2 pts
104Daviess County3.5+0.1 pts
104Livingston County3.5-0.2 pts
104Platte County3.5-0.2 pts
108Cole County3.3-0.1 pts
108Gentry County3.3-0.5 pts
108Moniteau County3.3-0.2 pts
108Perry County3.3-0.2 pts
108Worth County3.3-0.6 pts
113Atchison County3.2-0.1 pts
114Nodaway County3.1-0.2 pts
115Osage County3-0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Ozark County, with 7% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Osage County, with 3% in March 2026.

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, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings