Report: 7-county area including Springfield accounts for 9% of state workforce

The seven-county area that includes Springfield accounts for roughly 9% of the state's workforce, according to a new report that sheds light on the regional economy.

The Ozark Region has around 274,500 employees, representing 9.2% of Missouri's employment, according to the report from the Missouri Economic Research & Information Center. The region comprises Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties.

While health care and social assistance is the region's largest employing industry, at 44,200 jobs in 2022, the manufacturing industry added the most jobs, with a gain of 2,700 to over 31,400, according to the report.

Data in the report include educational attainment, which is a mixed bag for the Ozark Region compared with the state as a whole.

Roughly 10.1% in the Ozark Region have a graduate or professional degree, compared with 11.8% at the state level. Bachelor's degrees are 17.9% for the region and 18.9% for the state, with associate degrees at 8.2% for both.