Missouri Retail Trade Employment, 2011-2021

Employees working in the Retail Trade sector operate in positions that handle the sale of merchandise and provide related services, including repair and installation. In general, processes in this sector do not involve transforming goods or merchandise. Some examples of businesses in the Retail Trade sector include automobile dealers, grocery retailers, home furnishing retailers, department stores, and gasoline stations.

In a 2020  profile of the retail workforce , the United States Census Bureau reported growth in retail employment for the 2010-2020 period despite the rise of online retail and e-commerce services. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, national employment in retail industries dropped significantly, as reported by the  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . After the pandemic, patterns in retail employment have continued to evolve as certain industries have experienced growth in employment and output while others have not, reflecting shifts within the Retail Trade sector as a whole.

This story map explores employment in the Retail Trade sector in Missouri counties for the 2011-2021 period, based on data provided by the  Missouri Census Data Center .

In general, counties with a relatively high percentage of the workforce employed in the retail sector are clustered in Central Missouri, particularly in the counties near the Lake of the Ozarks, Pomme de Terre Lake, and Harry S. Truman Reservoir. Counties in this region such as Benton County and Hickory County display a high prevalence of retail workers for both the 2011 and 2021 dates (Hickory County: roughly 34% for both dates), (Benton County: 2011 rate: approximately 32% ; 2021 rate: approximately 30%). In 2011, there is an identifiable cluster of contiguous counties in this region displaying high retail employment rates, meanwhile the 2021 map indicates a shift toward a more dispersed distribution that is slightly further west of the Lake of the Ozarks.

Additionally, some counties along both the northern and southern state borders demonstrate high rates of retail sector employment. For example, Ozark County along the southern border displays relatively high rates of retail employment (roughly 24% in 2011 and 28% in 2021), which is perhaps related to its proximity to Bull Shoals Lake and Norfolk Lake in Arkansas. Along the northern border, there are four counties that consistently display retail employment rates greater than 25%: Clark, Putnam, Harrison, and Worth. Retail employment in these border counties is likely strongly influenced by patterns in counties in bordering states, which may include differences in fuel taxes, blue laws, or sector wages.

In 2022, retail trade employment accounted for 11.4% of the Iowa workforce, reflecting a statewide decline in retail employment after the pandemic (Iowa Workforce Development,  2022 Iowa Retail Trade Industry Profile ). As of 2022, Iowa had the lowest average annual wage for the retail employment sector in the Midwest, as indicated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Iowa had an annual wage that was 17.2% lower than the national average and roughly $2,000 less than the average Missouri wage.

A notable consistency between both dates is the tendency of the counties surrounding Kansas City and St. Louis to feature relatively low rates of retail sector employment. For example, Jackson County featured a retail employment rate of roughly 11% in both 2011 and 2021, and St. Louis City demonstates a retail employment rate of about 5% for both dates.

Despite changes in the nature of retail jobs in the past decade, some Missouri counties still employ a significant portion of the working population in the retail sector. Statewide, the percentage of retail employees changed from 13.29% in 2011 to 12.46% in 2021, indicating only a slight decrease. With some counties employing more than a quarter of the working population in the retail sector, it is safe to say that retail employment still plays a significant role in the daily lives of Missouri residents and workers.