Counties in Missouri by unemployment rate

Mississippi County had the highest unemployment rate of 115 counties in June 2026, at 5.8%. Shelby County had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 3.8% and the figure for Missouri was 3.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lowest2.9Shelby County
Median3.8115 counties
Missouri3.7History

Top 40 counties, June 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Mississippi CountyMississippi County: 5.8 %5.8Pemiscot CountyPemiscot County: 5.6 %5.6Dunklin CountyDunklin County: 5.5 %5.5Ozark CountyOzark County: 5.4 %5.4Adair CountyAdair County: 5.2 %5.2Hickory CountyHickory County: 5 %5Butler CountyButler County: 4.9 %4.9Shannon CountyShannon County: 4.9 %4.9Iron CountyIron County: 4.8 %4.8McDonald CountyMcDonald County: 4.7 %4.7New Madrid CountyNew Madrid County: 4.7 %4.7Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.7 %4.7Benton CountyBenton County: 4.6 %4.6Howell CountyHowell County: 4.6 %4.6Madison CountyMadison County: 4.6 %4.6Pulaski CountyPulaski County: 4.6 %4.6Carter CountyCarter County: 4.5 %4.5Knox CountyKnox County: 4.5 %4.5Lewis CountyLewis County: 4.5 %4.5Laclede CountyLaclede County: 4.4 %4.4Wright CountyWright County: 4.4 %4.4Dallas CountyDallas County: 4.3 %4.3Pettis CountyPettis County: 4.3 %4.3Ripley CountyRipley County: 4.3 %4.3St. Francois CountySt. Francois County: 4.3 %4.3Washington CountyWashington County: 4.3 %4.3Cedar CountyCedar County: 4.2 %4.2Howard CountyHoward County: 4.2 %4.2Pike CountyPike County: 4.2 %4.2Stoddard CountyStoddard County: 4.2 %4.2Texas CountyTexas County: 4.2 %4.2Barry CountyBarry County: 4.1 %4.1Buchanan CountyBuchanan County: 4.1 %4.1Crawford CountyCrawford County: 4.1 %4.1Douglas CountyDouglas County: 4.1 %4.1Johnson CountyJohnson County: 4.1 %4.1Morgan CountyMorgan County: 4.1 %4.1Phelps CountyPhelps County: 4.1 %4.1St. Louis citySt. Louis city: 4.1 %4.1Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 4 %4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJune 2026 (%)Change on June 2025
1Mississippi County5.8-1.2 pts
2Pemiscot County5.6-0.8 pts
3Dunklin County5.5-0.2 pts
4Ozark County5.4-0.7 pts
5Adair County5.2-0.1 pts
6Hickory County5-1.6 pts
7Butler County4.9-0.7 pts
7Shannon County4.9-0.6 pts
9Iron County4.8-1 pts
10McDonald County4.7-1 pts
10New Madrid County4.7-0.9 pts
10Wayne County4.7-0.7 pts
13Benton County4.6-0.8 pts
13Howell County4.6-0.6 pts
13Madison County4.6-0.5 pts
13Pulaski County4.6-0.2 pts
17Carter County4.5-0.5 pts
17Knox County4.50 pts
17Lewis County4.5-0.2 pts
20Laclede County4.4-0.6 pts
20Wright County4.4-1 pts
22Dallas County4.3-0.9 pts
22Pettis County4.3-0.4 pts
22Ripley County4.3-1 pts
22St. Francois County4.3-0.8 pts
22Washington County4.3-0.8 pts
27Cedar County4.2-0.9 pts
27Howard County4.2-0.3 pts
27Pike County4.2-0.4 pts
27Stoddard County4.2-0.9 pts
27Texas County4.2-0.5 pts
32Barry County4.1-0.5 pts
32Buchanan County4.1-0.4 pts
32Crawford County4.1-0.6 pts
32Douglas County4.1-0.5 pts
32Johnson County4.1-0.4 pts
32Morgan County4.1-0.8 pts
32Phelps County4.1-0.4 pts
32St. Louis city4.1-0.7 pts
40Lawrence County4-0.5 pts
40Oregon County4-1.1 pts
40Reynolds County4-0.5 pts
40Scott County4-0.6 pts
40St. Clair County4-0.6 pts
40Sullivan County4+0.2 pts
46Bates County3.9-0.3 pts
46DeKalb County3.9-0.7 pts
46Dent County3.9-0.3 pts
46Macon County3.9-0.7 pts
46Marion County3.9-0.6 pts
46Polk County3.9-0.7 pts
46Saline County3.9-0.3 pts
46St. Louis County3.9-0.4 pts
46Stone County3.9-0.8 pts
46Taney County3.9-0.5 pts
56Dade County3.8-0.4 pts
56Henry County3.8-0.5 pts
56Monroe County3.8-0.3 pts
56Newton County3.8-0.6 pts
56Vernon County3.8-0.4 pts
56Webster County3.8-0.6 pts
62Andrew County3.7-0.5 pts
62Audrain County3.7-0.6 pts
62Carroll County3.7-0.7 pts
62Clark County3.7-1.1 pts
62Cooper County3.7-0.5 pts
62Grundy County3.7-0.8 pts
62Harrison County3.7-0.3 pts
62Holt County3.7-1.2 pts
62Jasper County3.7-0.5 pts
62Randolph County3.7-0.5 pts
72Barton County3.6-1 pts
72Bollinger County3.6-0.8 pts
72Boone County3.6-0.4 pts
72Cape Girardeau County3.6-0.4 pts
72Greene County3.6-0.4 pts
72Jackson County3.6-0.7 pts
72Lafayette County3.6-0.5 pts
72Ray County3.6-0.5 pts
80Clinton County3.5-0.6 pts
80Franklin County3.5-0.4 pts
80Gentry County3.5-0.6 pts
80Lincoln County3.5-0.4 pts
80Maries County3.5-0.7 pts
85Caldwell County3.4-1 pts
85Camden County3.4-0.7 pts
85Chariton County3.4-0.8 pts
85Jefferson County3.4-0.5 pts
85Putnam County3.4-0.6 pts
85Warren County3.4-0.4 pts
91Callaway County3.3-0.4 pts
91Cass County3.3-0.5 pts
91Christian County3.3-0.6 pts
91Gasconade County3.3-0.7 pts
91Linn County3.3-0.8 pts
91Mercer County3.3-0.8 pts
91Miller County3.3-0.4 pts
91Nodaway County3.3-0.4 pts
91Ralls County3.3-0.7 pts
91Scotland County3.3-0.5 pts
101Clay County3.2-0.5 pts
101Cole County3.2-0.4 pts
101Livingston County3.2-0.7 pts
101Moniteau County3.2-0.4 pts
101St. Charles County3.2-0.4 pts
106Montgomery County3.1-0.6 pts
106Osage County3.1-0.4 pts
106Perry County3.1-0.4 pts
106Platte County3.1-0.6 pts
110Daviess County3-0.3 pts
110Ste. Genevieve County3-0.5 pts
110Worth County3-0.5 pts
113Atchison County2.9-1.1 pts
113Schuyler County2.9-1.1 pts
113Shelby County2.9-0.8 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?

Mississippi County, with 5.8% in June 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Shelby County, with 2.9% in June 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