The St. Louis Economy

The bi-state St. Louis MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is made up of a total of 16 counties, consisting of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis City, St. Louis, Warren and Washington on the Missouri side and Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe and St. Claire on the Illinois side.
 
It ranks as the 16th largest MSA in the USA (2007).
 
 

Labor Force

Persons in the age group of 35 to 44 years and 45 to 54 years combined account for 48% of the labor force in this region.

Labor Force by Age Group - St. Louis MSA 2007

Age Group	Percentage
45 to 54 years	25%
35 to 44 years	23%
25 to 29 years	10%
30 to 24 years	10%
55 to 59 years	9%
22 to 24 years	6%
16 to 19 years	6%
20 and 21 years	4%
60 and 61 years	3%
62 to 64 years	3%
65 to 59 years	2%
70 to 74 years	1%
75 years and over	1%

Source: American Community Survey

Historically, almost 20% of the region's workforce has been in the age group of 45-54 years.

Workforce By Age Group - St. Louis MSA 1995-2008

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and the State of Missouri, Local Employment Dynamics program

Industry Employment and Projections

Educational Services, Healthcare and Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Manufacturing are the largest private employing industries in the region.

NAICS	Industry	Annual Average 2007	Percent of Total Employment 2007
11	Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining	10,677	0.80%
23	Construction	93,619	6.80%
31-33	Manufacturing	157,040	11.40%
42	Wholesale trade	45,320	3.30%
44-45	Retail trade	163,773	11.90%
48-49	Transportation and warehousing, and utilities	78,818	5.70%
52	Information	33,752	2.50%
52-53	Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing	107,920	7.90%
54	Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services	132,091	9.60%
61-62	Educational services, and health care and social assistance	291,626	21.30%
71-72	Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services	134,532	9.80%
81	Other services, except public administration	69,451	5.10%
92	Public administration	53,220	3.90%

Source: MERIC, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Short term industry projections are developed for the State as well as for the Kansas City and St. Louis metros. For this region, the most representative region for comparison is the St. Louis Region. From 2008 to 2010, this projected to have more than 57,000 job openings. Listed below are the top ten fastest growing industry sectors in this region for 2008-2010.

NAICS Code	Title	2008 Estimated Employment	2010 Projected Employment	Percent Change
515000	Broadcasting (except Internet)	2,550	2,640	3.77%
446000	Health and Personal Care Stores	7,650	7,900	3.32%
611000	Educational Services	86,820	89,570	3.17%
623000	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	22,590	23,210	2.72%
452000	General Merchandise Stores	20,590	21,150	2.70%
621000	Ambulatory Health Care Services	40,790	41,730	2.32%
624000	Social Assistance	17,770	18,180	2.31%
492000	Couriers and Messengers	5,160	5,260	1.96%
999200	State Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals	9,090	9,250	1.77%
523000	Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities	7,760	7,880	1.57%

Source: MERIC Short-tem Occupational Projections, MERIC Occupational Employment and Wage Survey and U.S. Department of Labor

Historically, Missouri's unemployment rate has been lower than the national average. However, since early 2009, mirroring the national trend this region also saw a steady decline in employment. In May 2009, non-farm employment in this region was 45,200 lower than at this time last year. The largest losses were in manufacturing (11%). However, growth was observed in educational and health services, adding 3,700 jobs and reflecting a (1.7%) increase. As of May 2009, the region's unemployment rate was (9%), a 3.1 percentage point increase from the May 2008 rate of 5.9%.