Average Salary in Missouri (MO)

Missouri has two major metros that operate as effectively independent economies: Kansas City (split with the Kansas side of the state line) and St. Louis. The $65,920 median household income is below the national average, but the cost-of-living index of 89 — among the ten lowest in the country — gives Missouri households solid effective purchasing power. The St. Louis economy is anchored by healthcare and research (BJC HealthCare, Washington University, Saint Louis University), by agribusiness (Bayer Crop Science's US headquarters, formerly Monsanto), and by a diverse manufacturing base. Kansas City's economy spans logistics (one of the largest rail hubs in the US), engineering (Burns & McDonnell is headquartered there), and animal-health pharma (the Animal Health Corridor between KC and Manhattan, KS, is the largest concentration of veterinary pharma employment in the world). State income tax tops out at 4.95% and has been reduced in multiple rounds since 2014. The $12.80/hour minimum wage is indexed annually under a 2018 ballot initiative. Property taxes run moderate. Missouri has no estate or inheritance tax. Full salary and employment breakdown follows.