Unemployment rates throughout Southeast Missouri decreased significantly in July and August, the most recent months for which county-by-county jobless data is available through the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The declining unemployment rates are an indication of Missouri's continuing recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced thousands of temporary or permanent business closures resulting in widespread joblessness throughout the state.

According to data released last week, Cape Girardeau County's unemployment rate decreased a full percentage point from June to July, falling from 4.2% to 3.2%, and fell to 2.9% in August, matching the county's 2.9% rate recorded in November 2019.

The number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits filed in Cape Girardeau County also fell in August to 184, the first time the number of monthly claims has been below 200 since February 2020, the month before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in March 2020 through July of last year, 11,044 initial benefits claims were filed in Cape Girardeau County, an average of 2,208 a month during that five-month period.

Jobless rates in the three Missouri counties bordering Cape Girardeau County — Bollinger, Perry and Scott — also fell in July and August compared to June's unemployment rates.

In Bollinger County, the jobless rate decreased from 4.6% in June to 3.5% in July and 3.3% in August.

Perry County's unemployment rate, which was 3.5% in June, fell a full percentage point in July to 2.5%, but increased slightly to 2.6% in August.

Meanwhile, in Scott County, the county unemployment rate went from 4.6% in June to 3.6% in July and 3.2% in August.

Elsewhere in Southeast Missouri, the county-by-county unemployment rates announced last week by the state labor department were:

• Butler — June 5.2%; July 4.3%; August 3.9%.
• Dunklin — June 6.5%; July 6.0%; August 5.3%.
• Iron — June 6.6%; July 5.3%; August 4.9%.
• Madison — June 5.0%; July 4.1%; August 3.2%.
• Mississippi — June 5.6%; July 4.8%; August 4.1%.
• New Madrid — June 5.5%; July 4.9%; August 4.4%.
• Pemiscot — June 8.3%; July 7.4%; August 6.0%.
• Ripley — June 6.3%; July 5.5%; August 5.0%.
• St. Francois — June 5.4%; July 4.2%; August 3.8%.
• Ste. Genevieve — June 3.9%; July 2.9%; August 2.8%.
• Stoddard — June 5.3%; July 4.2%; August 3.8%.
• Wayne — June 5.6%; July 4.6%; August 4.1%.

Although Pemiscot County's jobless rate fell from 8.3% to 6.0% from June to August, it was still the county with the state's highest unemployment rate.

Meanwhile, Osage County near Jefferson City had the state's lowest unemployment rate in August, checking in at 1.9% and just 17 initial claims for jobless benefits that month.

Missouri's overall unemployment rate as of Aug. 31 was 4.0%, down from 4.2% in July and 4.3% in June.

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