Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Joplin, MO MSA — October 2026
Joplin holds tight labor market as Missouri's job growth cools
Joplin's 3.8% unemployment rate continues to run below the 4.1% national average even as Missouri shed 10,600 jobs statewide in September, with manufacturing pay locally up significantly to $38,792.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Joplin MSA unemployment: 3.8% — vs. 4.1% national, August 2026
- Missouri September payrolls: -10,600 jobs — statewide, despite +28,400 YoY gain
- Missouri unemployment rate: 3.6% — below national rate for 11+ years
- Joplin nonfarm employment growth: +1.1% YoY — 91.0k to 92.0k, Jan-May 2026
Key takeaways
Joplin's jobless rate keeps outperforming both state and nation.
At 3.8% in August versus 4.1% nationally, Joplin ranked 35th-lowest among metros with labor forces over 250,000 — a sign the local economy has kept pace with national job growth without the labor-force erosion driving the national decline in participation.
Missouri's September job loss did not show up locally — yet.
Statewide payrolls fell 10,600 jobs in September, concentrated in professional services, private education/health, and trade/transportation, but Joplin's last confirmed reading (August, 91-92k nonfarm jobs) showed no comparable pullback. Commerce leaders should treat the gap as a timing question pending October metro data.
Manufacturing pay strength signals continued production demand.
Manufacturing production worker advertised pay rose significantly in the metro to $38,792, outpacing the stable national figure of $39,520 in relative movement — consistent with Missouri's broader manufacturing WARN activity (15 notices statewide) leaving local conditions steady.
Wage-vs-inflation gap narrows local households' buying power regardless of low unemployment.
National median weekly earnings rose just 1.5% against 3.5% CPI growth in Q3, and Joplin's own average wage ($24.25/hour) sits well below national averages — meaning low local unemployment does not by itself protect consumer spending power in the metro's retail and service economy.
Median advertised pay by role — Joplin, MO MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $26,029 | $31,200 | $34,195 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $26,101 | $30,225 | $31,200 | Moderate increase | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $30,959 | $34,790 | $38,468 | Moderate increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,059 | $79,024 | $89,546 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,978 | $32,223 | $36,410 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $32,708 | $39,192 | $43,680 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $59,199 | $70,000 | $76,011 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $32,245 | $38,792 | $41,600 | Significant increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $31,490 | $36,608 | $38,593 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,355 | $28,575 | $29,274 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $32,644 | $35,659 | $38,480 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,162 | $37,440 | $41,635 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $57,796 | $66,333 | $75,160 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $82,370 | $95,680 | $105,868 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $111,002 | $147,254 | $166,840 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $89,170 | $129,538 | $143,624 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $54,365 | $65,000 | $70,258 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $71,850 | $91,127 | $99,091 | Moderate decline | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $54,692 | $60,180 | $63,366 | Stable | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $55,620 | $66,799 | $76,755 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $66,901 | $80,684 | $87,686 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $34,364 | $50,046 | $54,725 | Moderate increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $60,227 | $100,000 | $122,495 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $70,000 | $81,594 | $103,119 | Moderate decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $78,312 | $93,242 | $103,135 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $64,300 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $98,150 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $37,769 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $61,917 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $134,991 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $94,726 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $73,654 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $62,072 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,655 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $61,700 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Joplin's unemployment rate held at 3.8% in August, nearly half a point below the national 4.1% and consistent with eleven consecutive years of Missouri metros running under the U.S. rate. Nonfarm payrolls grew modestly through the metro's tracked months (91.0 to 92.0 thousand, up 1.1% year-over-year), while statewide September payrolls fell 10,600 even as Missouri's jobless rate improved to 3.6% — a divergence that points to softening concentrated in a few large metros, with Joplin's own data showing no comparable slowdown.
What it means
Joplin's labor market reads tighter than the state and national averages, which is consistent with a metro where available workers remain scarce relative to demand even as white-collar sectors nationally (information, professional services, financial activities) shed jobs. Commerce leaders weighing expansion or relocation decisions should treat Missouri's statewide September job loss as a signal to watch metro-level data closely, since Joplin's manufacturing production worker pay rose significantly and operations/account manager pay rose significantly — both consistent with continued local demand. Current conditions suggest it is a reasonable window to evaluate local expansion plans, provided leaders track the October 28 BLS metro release before committing to timing.
Looking ahead
Expected release: BLS publishes October metro-level employment data on October 28 — the first real test of whether Missouri's statewide September job loss reaches Joplin or stays concentrated in St. Louis and Kansas City.
Worth watching: Missouri's minimum wage rise to $15/hour (HB 567) took full effect this year with no future CPI adjustment; watch whether Joplin's retail and food-service advertised pay — currently stable to moderate — shifts as the policy's first full-year effects show in local postings.
Potential inflection point: Statewide WARN filings are down 41% year-over-year (31 notices, 3,029 workers in 2026), but transportation/logistics and healthcare remain the most-affected sectors statewide. A single large regional filing in either sector could move Joplin's layoff picture meaningfully given the metro's smaller labor base.
Emerging pressure point: National labor force participation gains (61.8%) are tracking slower growth tied to retirements and immigration policy effects on labor supply; Missouri's own participation rate (64%) already exceeds the national figure, raising the question of how much further local labor supply has room to expand without wage acceleration.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Joplin MSA unemployment rate was 3.8% in August 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Missouri lost 10,600 jobs statewide in September 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate stable at 4.1% in October 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRED — Missouri's unemployment rate has stayed at or below national rate for 11 years
- Missouri Governor's Office / HB 567 — Missouri's minimum wage rose to $15.00/hour effective January 1, 2026 under HB 567
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Median weekly earnings rose 1.5% in Q3 2026 vs 3.5% CPI gain
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.