Mo. unemployment rate topped 7 percent in July

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's unemployment rate is back above 7 percent for the first time in a year.

Figures released Monday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show Missouri's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.1 percent in July. That was up two percentage points from the previous month.

That last time Missouri's unemployment was that high was in July 2012.

The state's total nonfarm employment remained essentially stable during that time.

Figures were not immediately available about the total size of the state's labor force.

Cape Girardeau County's unemployment rate in June, the last month available, was 6.5 percent, up from 6.1 percent in May and 5.5 percent in April.