A low cost-of-living, low unemployment and a thriving business community are all adding up to a robust economy in mid-Missouri.

"Virtually every aspect of the economy is very healthy throughout the area - banking, finance, the whole gamut," says David H. Meyer, vice president, economic development and workforce issues of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce. "Job growth is good both in the governmental and small business sectors and new construction is still very strong."

As home to the State Capitol and several of the state's premier institutions of higher learning, mid-Missouri has an economy that's highly resistant to recession.

"The State of Missouri is certainly Jefferson City's largest employer," Meyer says. "More than 16,000 people in Cole County work for the state. We're having some job growth in that sector and will probably continue to see it as the federal government continues to turn many of its programs over to the states."

In Columbia, the University of Missouri is the largest employer with nearly 15,000 workers. Add a total of nearly 500 more jobs at Columbia College and Stephens College and there's little doubt that the business of education drives Columbia's economy.

"Education is definitely the backbone of our local economy," says Vicki Pratt, president of REDI - Columbia Area Regional Economic Development, Inc. "But what many people from outside the region don't realize is our incredible strength in the health care industry. We have a number of health care facilities including the University Hospitals and Clinics that employ thousands of mid-Missourians."

Pratt said back-office and customer service centers supporting the banking and insurance industries are also prominent employers in mid-Missouri.

"Columbia is home to the corporate offices of Shelter Insurance and the regional offices of State Farm Insurance Companies," she said. "Several other Fortune 500 companies also have branch offices in Columbia."

With the demand for employees running high, unemployment is virtually non-existent in some areas of mid-Missouri.

"We've received a lot of press about having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation," Pratt said. "At one time in Columbia, our unemployment rate got down to around .6 or .8 percent."

As mid-Missouri's economic anchor communities, Columbia and Jefferson City attract thousands of workers from throughout mid-Missouri.

"We're huge importers of labor from our surrounding counties," Meyer says. "For example, in Callaway County, almost 40 percent of the workforce leaves each day to work in Jefferson City or Columbia. That's something I don't see changing too much in the future."

With the area's highly educated workforce, mid-Missouri is becoming increasingly attractive to technology firms. Economic development organizations are cultivating this resource in an attempt to attract more high-tech businesses to the area. REDI is working closely with the University of Missouri's new Office of Technology & Special Products. The office assists researchers with patenting, development and commercialization of marketable products and applications.

"We're extremely excited about the work we've done to develop our high-tech incubator," Pratt says. "The buzzwords here are technology transfer. We want to help turn research into products and grow businesses right here in mid-Missouri."

With such a positive environment for high-tech firms and small business start-ups, mid-Missouri's economy is likely to experience many more years of positive growth.