St. Louis, MO-IL
Across all occupations in the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan area, the median wage is $49,990 a year ($24.03 an hour) and the mean $66,330, May 2025. That median is −2% against the US median of $50,980 and +5% against Missouri's $47,800. BLS counts 1,341,320 jobs in the area, which spans Missouri and Illinois. The highest-paying occupation is radiologists; the largest is general and operations managers.
All occupations: St. Louis, MO-IL vs Missouri and Illinois and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| St. Louis, MO-IL | Hourly | $15.00 | $17.81 | $24.03 | $37.85 | $55.33 | $31.89 | 1,341,320 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,050 | $49,990 | $78,730 | $115,090 | $66,330 | ||
| Missouri | Hourly | $14.32 | $17.39 | $22.98 | $35.70 | $50.15 | $29.89 | 2,936,050 |
| Annual | $29,780 | $36,160 | $47,800 | $74,260 | $104,320 | $62,160 | ||
| Illinois | Hourly | $15.82 | $18.25 | $24.98 | $39.93 | $61.43 | $34.20 | 6,098,130 |
| Annual | $32,900 | $37,960 | $51,960 | $83,060 | $127,770 | $71,130 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
656 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profiles: Missouri, Illinois. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiologists | $468,860 | $225.41 | 170 |
| 2 | Psychiatrists | $298,160 | $143.34 | 100 |
| 3 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $276,550 | $132.96 | 120 |
| 4 | Physicians, All Other | $246,440 | $118.48 | 2,470 |
| 5 | Nurse Anesthetists | $232,300 | $111.68 | 650 |
| 6 | Pediatricians, General | $223,910 | $107.65 | 320 |
| 7 | Dentists, General | $210,430 | $101.17 | 1,250 |
| 8 | Physicians, Pathologists | $207,450 | $99.74 | ** |
| 9 | Athletes and Sports Competitors | $203,390 | * | 320 |
| 10 | Chief Executives | $202,840 | $97.52 | 1,120 |
| 11 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $199,310 | $95.82 | ** |
| 12 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Missouri | $167,130 | $80.35 | 6,160 |
| 13 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $162,660 | $78.20 | 1,280 |
| 14 | Natural Sciences Managers | $158,820 | $76.36 | 650 |
| 15 | Financial Managers in Missouri | $158,780 | $76.34 | 7,190 |
| 16 | Lawyers in Missouri | $142,690 | $68.60 | 6,100 |
| 17 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | $142,660 | $68.59 | 100 |
| 18 | Pharmacists | $138,530 | $66.60 | 2,910 |
| 19 | Marketing Managers | $137,900 | $66.30 | 3,540 |
| 20 | Physician Assistants | $136,120 | $65.44 | 1,260 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
Most concentrated occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agricultural Engineers | 7.93 | 100 | 0.08 | $124,340 |
| 2 | Museum Technicians and Conservators | 7.09 | 750 | 0.56 | $50,690 |
| 3 | Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.16 | 4,480 | 3.34 | $62,090 |
| 4 | Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials | 3.83 | 520 | 0.39 | $34,360 |
| 5 | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | 3.46 | 320 | 0.24 | $60,950 |
| 6 | Rock Splitters, Quarry | 3.44 | 100 | 0.07 | $60,990 |
| 7 | Cooks, Fast Food in Missouri | 3.20 | 17,700 | 13.20 | $30,860 |
| 8 | Insulation Workers, Mechanical | 2.54 | 560 | 0.42 | $79,240 |
| 9 | Food Scientists and Technologists | 2.44 | 270 | 0.21 | $108,200 |
| 9 | Athletes and Sports Competitors | 2.44 | 320 | 0.24 | $203,390 |
Occupation groups in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $107,830 | $127,500 | 106,320 | 79.27 | 1.11 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $99,080 | $103,460 | 44,190 | 32.95 | 0.97 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $93,600 | $98,720 | 18,010 | 13.43 | 0.80 |
| Legal | $84,570 | $120,880 | 11,290 | 8.41 | 1.00 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $82,000 | $89,890 | 11,650 | 8.68 | 0.92 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,030 | $98,310 | 94,740 | 70.63 | 1.12 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $80,060 | $89,750 | 89,500 | 66.72 | 0.98 |
| Construction and Extraction | $73,130 | $73,700 | 54,470 | 40.61 | 0.98 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $60,830 | $64,140 | 50,320 | 37.52 | 0.96 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $54,240 | $70,210 | 15,260 | 11.38 | 0.86 |
| Community and Social Service | $52,830 | $58,710 | 20,890 | 15.58 | 0.91 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $50,710 | $62,290 | 81,130 | 60.48 | 1.03 |
| Production | $49,660 | $54,650 | 78,420 | 58.46 | 1.06 |
| Protective Service | $49,330 | $59,140 | 28,160 | 20.99 | 0.86 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $46,840 | $50,540 | 149,950 | 111.79 | 0.98 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $44,750 | $48,000 | 110,460 | 82.36 | 0.94 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $42,620 | $45,280 | 1,290 | 0.96 | 0.34 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $37,700 | $40,560 | 39,650 | 29.56 | 1.01 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,270 | $38,650 | 76,470 | 57.01 | 1.12 |
| Sales and Related | $36,830 | $51,910 | 109,560 | 81.68 | 0.95 |
| Personal Care and Service | $34,110 | $38,650 | 28,850 | 21.51 | 1.03 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $33,040 | $36,860 | 120,730 | 90.01 | 1.02 |
Every occupation in Missouri and Illinois, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profiles. All 656 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS St. Louis, MO-IL estimates (area 41180).
#- Equal to or greater than the top code (BLS publishes no wage above it).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the St. Louis, MO-IL area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.
- The area spans Missouri and Illinois; its figures are the whole MSA, as BLS publishes them, under the primary state Missouri.