Meramec Region (Table 3-9)

In 2010 the combined civilian labor force of the Meramec Region was comprised of 46,272 men and 40,487 women for a total of 86,759 persons in the force, an increase of 50.5 percent from 1980 (chart 3-25). The bulk of that growth occurred as more and more women entered the labor force. The unemployment rate of the region in 1980 was 8.7 percent which dropped to 8.1 percent in 1990 and then experienced a significant decrease to 6 percent in 2000. The great recession caused a sharp increase in the unemployment rate to 9.1 percent in 2010 with 7,900 persons considered unemployed. Chart 3-26 provides a graphic depiction of the unemployment rates from 1980 through 2010.

	Source: 1980, 1990, 2000 Census and 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-yr Estimates
	Source: 1980, 1990, 2000 Census and 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-yr Estimates

In 2010, 37.3 percent of those counted in the civilian noninstitutional population were not in the civilian labor force. This number is down by 2.9 percent from 1980. Notably, the percentage of males not in the labor force has increased since 1980 by 4.5 percent compared to the number of females not in the labor force decreasing by 11.7 percent during the same period (chart 3-27).

	Source: 1980, 1990, 2000 Census and 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-yr Estimates