Here Are The 11 Best Cities In Missouri To Find a Job

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Missouri has been steadily dropping since 2010, with more jobs being added yearly. According to statistics gathered by NerdWallet, the best places for job seekers were determined based on the working age population growth of the city, affordability and cost of living, and the employment rate, in cities with more than 15,000 residents.

"Jefferson City" by Sarah Minor, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - NRCS photo gallery (use search criteria "State: Missouri" and "Category: Urban" to locate image). Image name: NRCSMO02032. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons -

What makes it great for job seekers: Growth in population, and a low unemployment rate compared to the state of Missouri.

Population growth: 5.4%

Median Household Income: $48,201/yr

Homeowner Costs: $1,113/mo

Unemployment Rate: 4.8%

http://www.claycorp.com/p/453/magellan-health-services/

What makes it great for job seekers: Excellent level of growth. Training in disaster medicine, dentistry, and X-Ray technology is available at Anthem College.

Large employers in town: Magellan Health Services, Edward Jones, Hollywood Casino, and Monsanto

Population growth: 5.2%

Median Household Income: $55,095/yr

Homeowner Costs: $1,348/mo

Unemployment Rate: 4.7%

Advertisement

Facebook/ Kirkwood School District

What makes it great for job seekers: Solid growth and median income. Saint Louis County Department of Human Services’ career center in nearby Maplewood offers career support, and the state Division of Workforce Development offers job boards and skills assessments online.

Large employers in town: Kirkwood School District and the Junior College District of St. Louis

Population growth: 2.4%

Median Household Income: $72,946/yr

Homeowner Costs: $1,725/mo

Unemployment Rate: 4.4%

Advertisement

Facebook/ Peterson Manufacturing Co.

What makes it great for job seekers: Population growth, and low homeowners expenses. Specialized career training for health care, IT, animal science or hospitality are available at Metropolitan Community College’s Institute for Workforce Innovation.

Large employers in town: Peterson Manufacturing Company, Burger and Brown Engineering, and Mead Westvaco

Population growth: 3.7%

Median Household Income: $42,092/yr

Homeowner Costs: $1,179/mo

Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

Facebook/ City of Ballwin Missouri Government

What makes it great for job seekers: It has a great median income level and low homeowner costs. West County People in Business chapters meetings in Ballwin provide great networking opportunities, and the St. Louis Agency of Training and Employment’s job center is nearby in St. Louis.

Population growth: 1.1%

Median Household Income: $83,441

Homeowner Costs: $1,749

Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

Related Stories

Get Away From It All At This Remote And Beautiful Campground In Missouri

Explore 7,440 Acres Of Trails, Flora, and Fauna At Missouri's Otherworldly Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge

Best Waterfalls in Missouri: 14 Local Favorites & Hidden Gems

http://www.stlukes-stl.com/location/

What makes it great for job seekers: Recent business developments include the headquarters for the Reinsurance Group of America, a Monsanto research center, and Mercy Health’s virtual care center. Resources for job seekers include Logan University Career Development Center’s annual job fair for health care careers and nearby University of Missouri St. Louis’ Computer Education and Training Center for tech careers.

Large employers in town: St. Luke’s Hospital

Population growth: 2.5%

Median Household Income: $96,851/yr

Homeowner Costs: $2,162/mo

Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

Yelp.com

What makes it great for job seekers: The nearby St. Charles Community College offers workforce training for jobs, and manages the Career Center Partnership, which offers career counseling, and resume and interview skills training. Also, the St. Charles County Career center offers workshop and job fairs.

Large employers in town: CitiMortgage, MasterCard St. Louis Operations Center

Population growth: 5.8%

Median Household Income: $77,210/yr

Homeowner Costs: $1,596/mo

Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

Facebook/ St. Louis Community College-Wildwood

What makes it great for job seekers: It has the highest median household income at $120,507. There are also many different resources for job seekers. The St. Louis Community College offers classes locally to Wildwood students, offers career training at its nearby campuses in Bridgeton and Ferguson, and also offers online professional development classes catered to working adults.

Population growth: 3.0%

Unemployment Rate: 4.1%

Advertisement

"University of Missouri - Jesse Hall" by AdamProcter - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

What makes it great for job seekers: It has the lowest unemployment rate. Job skills, fairs, training and career counseling opportunities are available at the Moberly Area Community College and the Columbia Career Center, and Job Point.

Large employer in town: University of Missouri

Population growth: 10.3%

Median Household Income: $43,084

http://trumed.org/lakewood

What makes it great for job seekers: High median household income at $76,179 per year. Availability to obtain career growth through the University of Central Missouri’s Summit Center, as well as a satellite campus for University of Central Missouri, and help with resumes, interviews and career counseling at the Independence Career Center, located only about 20 minutes away in Independence.

Large employers in town: Truman Medical Center, U.S. Benefits Center

Population growth: 12%

Unemployment Rate: 4.2%

http://wentzville.gm.com/Facilities/public/us/en/wentzville/news.html

What makes it great for job seekers: Has a low unemployment rate of just 3.9 %, and 33% population growth. Also nearby for jobseekers is the St. Charles County Department of Workforce Development in St. Peters, which provides help with resumes, interviewing skills, and career counseling.

Large employers in town: General Motors assembly plant, Serco, Crider Health Center, RK Stratman

Most of the information provided in this article was provided by nerdwallet.com.  Other cities that rounded out the top 15 include: Springfield, St. Charles, St. Joseph and Joplin. What do you think of these findings?  Share in the comments below.