Figures by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Missouri’s net gain of 57,100 jobs over the last year led all eight of its neighboring states. The state also ranked in the top 10 for the nation for job creation over that period.

The same federal data indicate that Missouri was tied for the largest statistically significant decrease in the nation in the unemployment rate in November.

“Over the last eight years, we’ve cut our unemployment rate in half, revitalized our manufacturing industry and made Missouri an internationally-recognized center of high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Governor Jay Nixon. “This report showing Missouri leading the region in job growth is more proof that hard work pays off.”

According to the report, Missouri’s nonfarm payroll employment grew by 1,900 jobs in November and set a new record high for the state with more than 2.8 million jobs. The state’s unemployment rate for November also decreased by four-tenths of a point to 4.7 percent.

These figures come in the wake of a Brookings Institution report released in August. Based on figures from 2013-2015, Missouri was named the sixth best state in the nation for its annual advanced manufacturing industry job growth. The same report also found that Missouri is the eighth best state in the nation for output growth of its advanced manufacturing industry. Advanced industry in 2015 accounted for nearly 223,000 full-time jobs in Missouri, or approximately 7.6 percent of all jobs in the region.