County Unemployment Rises To 9.5 Percent

The Missouri Department of Labor said Crawford County’s unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent in April as the fallout from COVID-19 continued.

The county’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent in March. With the pandemic taking hold and forcing non-essential businesses to shutter or reduce in-person interactions, first-time claims rose to 554, the highest number since the Great Recession in 2009.

In February, the county unemployment rate was 4.7 percent.

First-time claims kept rising in April, with 941 county residents filing.

The numbers vary across the state.

Taney County, which includes Branson, has seen its unemployment rate spike to 24.5 percent. 

Nearby Stone County has the state’s second-highest unemployment rate at 16.4 percent.

Some of the more sparsely populated counties in the state, such as Mercer, Holt and Knox, still boast unemployment rates below 5 percent.

Neighboring Counties

Dent County’s unemployment is at 6.1 percent, rising from 4.8 percent in March. 

Franklin County’s unemployment rate stands at 10.7 percent with 5,083 first-time claims in April. The county had a 4.7 percent unemployment rate in March.

Gasconade County is at 9.5 percent, rising from 4 percent in March.

Iron County is at 8.5 percent, rising from 7.4 percent in March.

Washington County is at 10.4 percent, rising from 6.9 percent in March.

Phelps County is at 6.6 percent, rising from 4.4 percent in March.