JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri led the nation in job growth in September as its unemployment rate fell slightly from an 18-year high in August.
Missouri gained 3,800 jobs, which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday was more than any other state. Neighboring Nebraska was second with a gain of 2,200 jobs in September.
Missouri's unemployment rate fell from 6.7 percent in August to 6.4 percent in September, according to figures released Tuesday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's the first decline in the Missouri unemployment rate since June.
Much of the jobs gain came in the manufacturing sector, which added 3,500 after posting declines in nine of the last 12 months. The state also added 1,500 government jobs.
But the construction sector lost 1,400 jobs in September. It had declined by 100 in August and has posted losses in eight of the last 12 months.