Changes in Missouri Employers 1982-1992
The number of private business employers increased in Missouri from 99,112
in 1982 to 133,494 in 1992 -- a 35 percent increase. The number of persons
employed by those businesses increased from 1.622 million in 1982 to 2.01 million
in 1992 -- a 24 percent increase. It is significant that all but five Missouri
counties experienced an increase in number of businesses although more than 40
counties lost population during that 10-year period. There was little difference
in the rate of increase between metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. The
number of employers increased by 35.3 percent in the 17 metro counties and by 33.3
percent in the remaining 98 non-metro counties.
A majority of Missouri s private sector employers continue to be small: 74.3
percent of Missouri s employers in 1982 employed fewer than 10 workers; that
percentage increased slightly to 74.6 percent in 1992.
Changes in Manufacturing Firms 1982-1992
The number of Missouri manufacturing employers increased from 6,605 in 1982
to 7,925 in 1992 -- a 20 percent increase. Even though the number of manufacturing
firms increased by 614 (13.1 percent increase) in the 17 metropolitan counties, the
number increased by 706 (36.7 percent increase) in the 95 nonmetro counties. The
percentage of manufacturing firms located in metro counties declined from 70.9
percent in 1982 to 66.8 percent in 1992. However, a majority of the increased
number of manufacturing firms were small employers; 82 percent of the additional
1,320 firms employed fewer than 10 workers. The percentage of Missouri s
manufacturers employing fewer than 10 workers increased from 44.8 percent in 1982
to 51.1 percent in 1992.
Changes in Retail Trade Firms 1982-1992
The number of Missouri retail trade firms increased from 28,301 in 1982 to 33,114
in 1992 -- a 17 percent increase. Although the number of retail trade firms
increased by nearly 5,000 statewide, 31 counties experienced a decline in number
of firms . Generally the decline occurred in smaller rural counties. Fifty-four
counties had than 100 retail firms. Thirteen counties had more than 400 retail
firms, led by St. Louis County with 6,417. Those 13 counties included 64 percent
of all retail firms in 1992, up only slightly from 63 percent of all firms in 1982.
There is not much evidence that the number of retail businesses are becoming more
concentrated in the larger population counties.
Although the number of retail firms increased by 17 percent, the number of
persons employed by those firms increased by 30 percent from 1982 to 1992 - from
325,858 to 423,385. These data indicate that many retail firms are becoming larger
employers. The percentage of retail firms employing fewer than 10 workers declined
from 73.5 percent of all retail firms in 1982 to 69.4 percent in 1992. The number
of retail firms employing fewer than 10 workers declined in 45 counties.