Prices, pay, taxes, homes and family budgets, county by county, from the same official data the site's calculators use.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures price levels in every state against a national average of 100. Missouri scores 90.8 overall, so a $75,000 salary at average US prices buys what $68,113 buys here. Compare any salary with another state.
| Price level | Missouri (US = 100) | Rank, most expensive first |
|---|---|---|
| Everything | 90.8 | 39th of 51 |
| Rents | 69.9 | 42nd of 51 |
| Goods | 96.3 | — |
| Other services | 95.2 | — |
Home electricity averaged 12.91 cents a kilowatt-hour in 2024, against 17.06 across all states. A gallon of regular gas cost $3.80 at the end of August 2026, against $4.12.
Across all 2,936,050 jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts in Missouri, the median pay is $47,800 a year, or $22.98 an hour; that ranks 39th of the 50 states and DC. One worker in ten earns less than $29,780 and one in ten more than $104,320.
Missouri taxes wages in brackets, with a top rate of 4.7%. The brackets in Missouri. A single filer on the median $47,800, with no retirement or health deductions, takes home about $38,521 a year, or $1,482 every two weeks, after $3,556 of federal income tax, $3,657 of Social Security and Medicare and $2,066 of state income tax. Work out your own paycheck in Missouri.
The five occupations employing the most people, with their median annual pay:
| Occupation | Jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 109,020 | $79,300 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 94,810 | $33,080 |
| Registered Nurses | 76,310 | $81,780 |
| Cashiers | 69,430 | $30,520 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 67,390 | $36,710 |
Of the 20 largest occupations, the best paid are registered nurses ($81,780), general and operations managers ($79,300), accountants and auditors ($76,590). See what common jobs pay in every state.
Across the 113 Missouri counties with their own Zillow home value, the median typical home is worth $222,896, and across the 34 with their own rent figure the median typical rent is $1,288 a month. A typical home costs 2.93 years of the county's median family income, at the median county.
With 10% down at 7.03%, the average 30-year rate on September 24, 2026, that home costs about $1,810 a month with tax, insurance and mortgage insurance, which takes $77,574 a year of income under the usual 28% guideline. The median family can afford its own county's typical home in 45.1% of Missouri's counties, against 44.9% of counties nationally. Try it with your own income.
At the median county, home values changed +4.8% over the past year and +29.7% over five years, and rents +4.2% over the past year.
The most expensive Missouri counties are Platte County ($395,149), St. Charles County ($376,365) and Cass County ($344,687); the least expensive are Pemiscot County ($85,613), Dunklin County ($93,447) and Sullivan County ($97,041).
The Economic Policy Institute prices what a modest but adequate standard of living costs in every county: housing, food, transport, healthcare, childcare, other necessities and taxes. In the median Missouri county, that comes to $43,629 a year for one adult and $89,960 for two adults and two children, of which $10,648 is childcare. The national averages are $47,367 and $101,771. Median family income in the median county is $72,757.
| Two adults, two children | Per year, median county | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | $9,888 | $824 |
| Food | $11,516 | $960 |
| Transportation | $18,875 | $1,573 |
| Healthcare | $20,151 | $1,679 |
| Childcare | $10,648 | $887 |
| Other necessities | $6,733 | $561 |
| Taxes | $11,554 | $963 |
Each line is its own median across counties, so the lines do not add up exactly to the total.
The Department of Education's College Scorecard lists 141 colleges in Missouri, 41 of them public. The median public college reports a cost of attendance of $19,477 a year, covering tuition, housing, books and other expenses. Ten years after enrolling, the median school's former students earn $41,138. Compare degrees and schools.
| Adair County | $195,292 | +5.1% | — | $78,619 | $89,960 |
| Andrew County | $294,286 | +6.6% | — | $91,780 | $102,056 |
| Atchison County | $142,995 | +0.5% | — | $68,640 | $92,230 |
| Audrain County | $191,541 | +10.4% | — | $70,874 | $88,067 |
| Barry County | $244,450 | +3.6% | — | $68,778 | $82,233 |
| Barton County | $189,132 | +5.0% | — | $66,750 | $85,041 |
| Bates County | $230,501 | +3.6% | — | $76,324 | $91,663 |
| Benton County | $191,167 | +1.5% | — | $67,010 | $88,032 |
| Bollinger County | $198,768 | +2.7% | — | $75,639 | $91,923 |
| Boone County | $333,020 | +2.6% | $1,432 | $100,150 | $94,796 |
| Buchanan County | $196,794 | +6.2% | $1,062 | $72,210 | $90,257 |
| Butler County | $173,070 | +11.3% | — | $63,988 | $86,098 |
| Caldwell County | $245,764 | +5.9% | — | $74,936 | $97,823 |
| Callaway County | $269,613 | +6.3% | $1,172 | $86,663 | $96,843 |
| Camden County | $321,203 | −3.4% | $1,845 | $80,006 | $90,055 |
| Cape Girardeau County | $243,390 | +4.2% | $970 | $88,478 | $97,751 |
| Carroll County | $169,538 | +2.6% | — | $76,375 | $90,965 |
| Carter County | $180,743 | +1.5% | — | $59,479 | $89,395 |
| Cass County | $344,687 | +4.8% | $1,680 | $103,801 | $94,924 |
| Cedar County | $227,292 | +5.4% | — | $67,000 | $82,790 |
| Chariton County | $129,846 | −9.2% | — | $75,912 | $89,034 |
| Christian County | $320,981 | +2.2% | $1,489 | $94,709 | $95,279 |
| Clark County | $168,676 | +14.6% | — | $71,166 | $94,208 |
| Clay County | $321,806 | +2.1% | $1,568 | $103,627 | $112,987 |
| Clinton County | $295,447 | +5.9% | — | $93,107 | $110,036 |
| Cole County | $288,781 | +8.2% | $1,105 | $98,183 | $89,101 |
| Cooper County | $245,628 | +3.6% | — | $85,395 | $91,958 |
| Crawford County | $222,896 | +8.7% | $888 | $71,757 | $87,806 |
| Dade County | $201,241 | +6.9% | — | $67,524 | $86,498 |
| Dallas County | $243,052 | +7.0% | — | $64,811 | $86,496 |
| Daviess County | $285,890 | +10.5% | — | $72,500 | $94,948 |
| DeKalb County | $241,961 | +4.7% | — | $90,096 | $88,306 |
| Dent County | $190,674 | +6.1% | — | $63,131 | $88,972 |
| Douglas County | $238,976 | +5.4% | — | $63,605 | $87,106 |
| Dunklin County | $93,447 | +4.7% | — | $63,325 | $83,789 |
| Franklin County | $267,765 | +4.9% | $1,222 | $89,085 | $93,610 |
| Gasconade County | $239,503 | +3.6% | — | $75,554 | $93,849 |
| Gentry County | $137,064 | +4.9% | — | $74,779 | $88,956 |
| Greene County | $259,052 | +2.8% | $1,248 | $77,501 | $94,535 |
| Grundy County | $120,803 | +6.2% | — | $71,250 | $90,135 |
| Harrison County | $132,343 | +3.4% | — | $66,577 | $89,383 |
| Henry County | $226,356 | +3.4% | — | $67,141 | $85,676 |
| Hickory County | $203,968 | +12.9% | — | $51,528 | $83,235 |
| Holt County | — | — | — | $72,757 | $91,590 |
| Howard County | $229,927 | +6.1% | — | $78,773 | $92,484 |
| Howell County | $226,689 | +6.8% | — | $59,294 | $85,477 |
| Iron County | $164,613 | +5.7% | — | $71,835 | $86,174 |
| Jackson County | $251,826 | +2.3% | $1,437 | $88,669 | $103,880 |
| Jasper County | $215,829 | +1.4% | $1,253 | $71,842 | $86,016 |
| Jefferson County | $295,839 | +4.5% | $1,495 | $94,684 | $102,003 |
| Johnson County | $286,692 | +4.9% | $1,069 | $84,892 | $90,210 |
| Knox County | $196,769 | +16.5% | — | $69,679 | $93,414 |
| Laclede County | $237,395 | +4.7% | $933 | $63,063 | $83,103 |
| Lafayette County | $248,506 | +8.0% | — | $94,859 | $99,443 |
| Lawrence County | $209,120 | +0.6% | $953 | $71,404 | $83,281 |
| Lewis County | $209,978 | +12.5% | — | $76,250 | $93,515 |
| Lincoln County | $317,731 | +5.5% | $1,620 | $95,040 | $97,577 |
| Linn County | $152,344 | +10.2% | — | $73,841 | $89,034 |
| Livingston County | $194,136 | +2.6% | — | $78,258 | $86,506 |
| Macon County | $201,108 | +5.6% | — | $74,093 | $90,480 |
| Madison County | $172,115 | +4.2% | — | $71,831 | $87,100 |
| Maries County | $251,356 | +9.3% | — | $76,328 | $89,581 |
| Marion County | $197,725 | +4.3% | $1,112 | $77,421 | $92,817 |
| McDonald County | $228,641 | +5.8% | — | $54,600 | $86,823 |
| Mercer County | $137,509 | +2.9% | — | $70,673 | $91,802 |
| Miller County | $267,558 | +3.0% | $1,500 | $77,605 | $90,909 |
| Mississippi County | $101,885 | −0.1% | — | $53,528 | $89,214 |
| Moniteau County | $239,151 | +4.2% | — | $85,598 | $94,683 |
| Monroe County | $223,618 | +9.2% | — | $72,753 | $87,709 |
| Montgomery County | $221,644 | +8.6% | — | $74,104 | $91,047 |
| Morgan County | $295,592 | +3.4% | — | $68,371 | $85,553 |
| New Madrid County | $101,081 | 0.0% | — | $63,382 | $87,056 |
| Newton County | $246,684 | +3.7% | $1,442 | $78,056 | $91,259 |
| Nodaway County | $224,188 | +3.5% | — | $80,632 | $90,530 |
| Oregon County | $169,715 | +5.0% | — | $54,886 | $89,158 |
| Osage County | $266,688 | +1.8% | — | $96,100 | $93,732 |
| Ozark County | $232,732 | +7.3% | — | $55,398 | $88,451 |
| Pemiscot County | $85,613 | −9.4% | — | $50,355 | $83,903 |
| Perry County | $235,762 | +7.6% | — | $81,364 | $92,127 |
| Pettis County | $195,703 | +2.5% | $1,163 | $72,955 | $85,586 |
| Phelps County | $236,688 | +5.1% | $787 | $71,691 | $88,214 |
| Pike County | $223,220 | +9.6% | — | $80,577 | $91,143 |
| Platte County | $395,149 | +2.0% | $1,635 | $118,570 | $114,611 |
| Polk County | $276,752 | +2.2% | $1,115 | $70,715 | $87,208 |
| Pulaski County | $229,482 | +5.6% | $1,210 | $82,505 | $94,887 |
| Putnam County | $210,635 | +4.1% | — | $74,602 | $93,728 |
| Ralls County | $263,395 | +4.4% | — | $81,887 | $95,191 |
| Randolph County | $182,084 | +7.1% | — | $71,557 | $89,594 |
| Ray County | $265,522 | +4.8% | — | $85,256 | $100,373 |
| Reynolds County | $162,636 | +4.2% | — | $56,705 | $90,131 |
| Ripley County | $157,115 | +7.5% | — | $62,148 | $86,874 |
| Saline County | $186,306 | +6.3% | — | $79,093 | $86,081 |
| Schuyler County | $177,437 | +12.9% | — | $64,851 | $93,615 |
| Scotland County | $133,658 | +2.6% | — | $77,557 | $92,730 |
| Scott County | $159,025 | +1.0% | — | $72,811 | $89,168 |
| Shannon County | $175,044 | +5.8% | — | $67,136 | $89,240 |
| Shelby County | $198,797 | +9.6% | — | $65,923 | $91,180 |
| St. Charles County | $376,365 | +1.8% | $1,676 | $122,939 | $113,103 |
| St. Clair County | $210,177 | +7.2% | — | $61,803 | $85,250 |
| St. Francois County | $194,662 | +2.2% | — | $65,473 | $81,711 |
| St. Louis city | $183,716 | −0.5% | $1,351 | $75,720 | $98,016 |
| St. Louis County | $289,872 | +2.5% | $1,476 | $108,392 | $115,540 |
| Ste. Genevieve County | $264,098 | +9.7% | — | $85,892 | $87,487 |
| Stoddard County | $154,825 | +4.3% | — | $69,064 | $85,931 |
| Stone County | $322,823 | +3.3% | $1,350 | $71,635 | $85,353 |
| Sullivan County | $97,041 | +5.4% | — | $69,043 | $93,074 |
| Taney County | $248,210 | −0.2% | $1,356 | $70,381 | $88,201 |
| Texas County | $205,071 | +8.2% | — | $62,127 | $83,826 |
| Vernon County | $180,839 | +7.9% | — | $71,250 | $87,549 |
| Warren County | $338,664 | +2.0% | $1,195 | $91,618 | $97,752 |
| Washington County | $189,978 | +5.2% | — | $65,802 | $79,839 |
| Wayne County | $128,564 | +2.5% | — | $56,997 | $87,478 |
| Webster County | $268,616 | +5.0% | $1,322 | $79,282 | $89,545 |
| Worth County | — | — | — | $68,000 | $91,887 |
| Wright County | $200,911 | +1.2% | — | $56,306 | $84,181 |
A dash means the source publishes no figure for that county. Home values and rents are Zillow's own county figures only; counties Zillow does not cover are left blank rather than filled with a state average.
St. Louis, MO (typical rent $1,445), Kansas City, MO (typical rent $1,546).
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County figures are medians across Missouri's counties, each counting once, so they describe the spread of places rather than of people. Property tax and insurance vary widely; the calculators let you use your own.