State Overview -- Change in Missouri Civilian Labor Force and Employment 1990-2000
As indicated in Table 1 the Missouri civilian labor force increased from 2,522,783 from 1990 to 2,806,718 in 2000 - an increase of 11.3 percent. Table 1 also shows that total Missouri employment increased from 2,367,395 in 1990 to 2,657, 924 in 2000 - an increase of 12.4 percent. The Missouri labor force increased by 11.3 percent during the 1990s, but employment increased by 12.4 percent. The difference is that unemployment was lower in 2000, explained as follows.
The Connection Between Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment
The civilian labor force consists of all those persons age 16 and over who are either employed or are looking for employment. The difference between the size of the labor force in 1990 and employment in 1990 is the number of people counted as being unemployed. So at the time of the 1990 Census the Missouri labor force was 2,522,783 and the number of Missourians employed was 2,367,395. The difference between the two in 1990 was 155,388 - the number counted as unemployed. To obtain the unemployment rate, the 155,388 unemployed is divided by the number in the labor force - 2,522, 783. The result is that, at the time of the 1990 census, Missouri's unemployment rate was 6.2 percent.
Following the same procedure the difference between the size of the labor force and the number of employed persons in 2000 was 148,794 and the 2000 unemployment rate was 5.3 percent. A higher percentage of the Missouri's 2000 labor force was employed in 2000.
Changes in the Gender of Missouri's Labor Force 1990-2000
Missouri's labor force has been increasing more rapidly than growth in the population for the past several decades largely because a growing proportion of Missouri's women have been entering the labor force. That trend continued between 1990 and 2000 although the rate of increase has declined because the proportion of Missouri women in the labor force has nearly reached the same proportion as men. Table 1 shows that in 1990 men accounted for 53.6 percent of the labor force and women accounted for 46.4 percent. By 2000 the proportion of women in the labor force had increased to 47.6 percent while men declined slightly to 52.4 percent.
During the 1990s the number of men in the work force increased from 1,352,263 to 1,471,333 - an increase of 8.8 percent. Concurrently the number of women in the labor force increased from 1,170,520 to 1,335,385 - an increase of 14.1 percent. It is unlikely that such a difference in rate of increase will continue in the future because there are a declining number of women available to enter the work force.
Changes in Gender Employment 1990-2000
Table 1 shows that women accounted for 47.5 percent of Missouri employed workers in 2000, up from 46.6 percent of employed workers in 1990. This corresponds with the increase of women in the labor force. During the 1990s there was very significant economic and employment growth and many parts of the state faced a labor shortage in the late 1990s. Reflecting that economic growth the number of men employed increased by 10.2 percent during the 1990s and the number of women employed increased by 14.7 percent. As mentioned above unemployment decreased during the 1990s because jobs increased more rapidly than population throughout the state.
| Detailed Tables about Employment Status | ||
| The following links provide detailed tables about Employment Status in Missouri. They are in both HTML and Adobe Acrobat (PDF) formats. | ||
| All Missouri Counties | ||
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Armed Forces, 1990-2000 - By County with State Totals | HTML | |
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force, 1990-2000 - By County with State Totals | HTML | |
| Female Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By County with State Totals | HTML | |
| Male Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By County with State Totals | HTML | |
| Regional Tables | ||
| UO/E Regions | ||
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Armed Forces, 1990-2000 - By UM Extension Region | HTML | |
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force, 1990-2000 - By UM Extension Region | HTML | |
| Female Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By UM Extension Region | HTML | |
| Male Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By UM Extension Region | HTML | |
| DED Regions | ||
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Armed Forces, 1990-2000 - By DED Region | HTML | |
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force, 1990-2000 - By DED Region | HTML | |
| Female Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By DED Region | HTML | |
| Male Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By DED Region | HTML | |
| MoDOT Regions | ||
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Armed Forces, 1990-2000 - By DOT District | HTML | |
| Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force, 1990-2000 - By DOT District | HTML | |
| Female Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By DOT District | HTML | |
| Male Population Age 16 Years and Over in the Civilian Labor Force by Employment Status, 1990-2000 - By DOT District | HTML | |
This file last modified Friday May 08, 2009, 14:07:28
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OSEDA, Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis Telephone: (573)882-7396
240 Heinkel Building, Columbia, MO 65211





