Missouri and Michigan Report July Unemployment Declines

Labor reports released on August 20, 2026, indicate slight declines in unemployment for July in both Missouri and Michigan. In Missouri, the unemployment rate fell to 3.6% from a revised June rate of 3.7%. The state added 8,100 nonfarm payroll jobs, with private industry contributing 6,900 of those positions, specifically within health services and private education. Missouri's labor force participation rate stood at 63.3%, while its unemployment rate remained below the national average of 4.1%.

In Michigan, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.9%. Wayne Rourke of Michigan’s Center for Data and Analytics noted that this decrease reflected a decline in both the number of unemployed individuals and the total workforce. Despite the dip, Michigan's jobless rate remains 0.8 percentage points higher than the national rate and has not seen significant change since July 2025.