County Unemployment Rate Dips

Crawford County’s unemployment rate hit its lowest point of 2020 in October, falling to 3.8%.

The rate returns to a low not seen since November 2019 — also 3.8%.

Unemployment fell by nearly a half point from September when it was 4.2%.

After a tumultuous 2020 that has seen businesses devastated by COVID-19, Crawford County has seemingly bounced back.

While the rate looks more normal, the county has still seen initial claims above 100.

There were 140 initial claims in October, up from 138 in September.

When the unemployment rate was 3.8% last November, there were only 75 initial claims.

Unemployment steadily rose through last fall and into 2020, even before the pandemic hit.

After bottoming out at 2.6% in September 2019, it was at 4.4% by December.

In January and February, the rate stood at 4.7%.

When the pandemic began in March, it rose to 5.8%, getting as high as 9.5% in April before finally cresting.

The rate dropped to 9.3% in May, 8.3% in June, 7.5% in July, 7.3% in August and 4.2% in September.

Neighboring Counties

Dent County, one of the least affected in terms of unemployment rate, sat 3.3% for the second straight month.

The county’s unemployment peaked at 6.1% in April.

Franklin County, which reached a high of 10.9% in May, has dropped to 3.7% in October.

There were 598 initial claims.

Gasconade County fell from 3.2% to 3% and there were 68 initial claims, the best since February.

Iron County dropped from 4.5% to 4.7%.

Phelps County decreased from 3.3% to 3.1%.

Washington County fell from 4.8% to 4.4%.

State

Missouri’s unemployment rate stood at 4.6%