The 20th Development Report Card for the States, released by the nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), gave Missouri a “D” grade on the performance of its economy for its workers and citizens, a drop from last year’s grade of “C.” Missouri received the following overall grades:
“D” for Performance (the performance of the economy for its citizens)
“D” for Business Vitality (business competitiveness and entrepreneurial energy)
“C” for Development Capacity (the positioning of the state for future economic growth).
The Report Card finds that job growth is not thriving in Missouri (37th in long-term employment growth; 41st in short-term growth), and annual pay is stagnating (48th in average annual pay growth). Similarly, first-time homebuyers are not buying in Missouri in the same numbers as in other states (42nd in change in homeownership rate).