St. Louis, MO Salary Guide (2024)
The median annual wage across all occupations in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area is $48,290, spread over roughly 1,339,700 jobs. This guide breaks that down across 80 detailed occupations with released wage data, from general and operations managers down to the smallest job categories BLS can publish.
Salary by occupation in St. Louis, MO
Ranked by median annual wage. Every row links to a full page with the local pay distribution, the percentile breakdown, and how the metro compares with the rest of the country.
| Occupation | Hourly | Annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $40.10 | $83,410 | 45,370 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $14.28 | $29,700 | 42,390 |
| Registered Nurses | $39.69 | $82,560 | 33,660 |
| Cashiers | $14.56 | $30,290 | 29,960 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $18.01 | $37,470 | 29,480 |
| Retail Salespersons | $15.90 | $33,080 | 28,680 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $21.27 | $44,250 | 26,860 |
| Office Clerks, General | $20.67 | $43,000 | 25,260 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $18.83 | $39,170 | 23,470 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $14.39 | $29,940 | 21,660 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $16.71 | $34,750 | 20,160 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $13.96 | $29,030 | 20,010 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $14.61 | $30,380 | 18,130 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $26.90 | $55,960 | 18,080 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $21.32 | $44,340 | 16,000 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $28.48 | $59,240 | 15,070 |
| Nursing Assistants | $18.66 | $38,820 | 14,360 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $17.52 | $36,450 | 13,910 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $25.29 | $52,600 | 13,540 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $37.39 | $77,770 | 12,440 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $30.22 | $62,850 | 11,870 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $31.69 | $65,910 | 11,400 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $21.05 | $43,790 | 10,880 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $23.52 | $48,930 | 10,720 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | $14.78 | $30,740 | 10,140 |
| Project Management Specialists | $45.08 | $93,760 | 9,910 |
| Security Guards | $18.23 | $37,910 | 9,890 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $18.14 | $37,730 | 9,890 |
| Carpenters | $31.29 | $65,090 | 9,500 |
| Software Developers | $57.93 | $120,490 | 9,360 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $18.09 | $37,630 | 8,990 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $42.81 | $89,040 | 8,950 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $29.61 | $61,580 | 8,920 |
| Bartenders | $14.00 | $29,120 | 8,910 |
| Construction Laborers | $30.58 | $63,600 | 8,910 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | $17.19 | $35,760 | 8,370 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $31.34 | $65,180 | 8,200 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $22.47 | $46,740 | 8,160 |
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | $22.87 | $47,560 | 7,640 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $29.46 | $61,270 | 7,610 |
| Light Truck Drivers | $21.22 | $44,130 | 7,510 |
| Financial Managers | $67.42 | $140,240 | 6,890 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $32.31 | $67,210 | 6,730 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $16.80 | $34,940 | 6,650 |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $16.59 | $34,510 | 6,500 |
| Electricians | $38.12 | $79,280 | 6,460 |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | $21.36 | $44,420 | 6,290 |
| Management Analysts | $49.30 | $102,540 | 6,250 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $20.74 | $43,140 | 6,200 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $36.16 | $75,210 | 6,080 |
Median pay across these occupations runs from $29,030 to $140,240 — a 4.8× spread between the lowest- and highest-paid detailed occupations in the metro. The all-occupation median of $48,290 sits nearer the bottom of that range, because the largest job categories in most metros are also among the lower-paid ones.
Frequently asked questions about St. Louis, MO pay
What is the median salary in St. Louis, MO?
Across all occupations, the median annual wage in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area is $48,290. Total employment covered by the survey is about 1,339,700 jobs.
Which jobs pay the most in St. Louis, MO?
The highest median wage in the metro belongs to general and operations managers at $83,410, followed by home health and personal care aides ($29,700) and registered nurses ($82,560).
How many occupations are covered for St. Louis, MO?
This guide covers 80 detailed occupations with released wage data for the metro area, out of the 800+ detailed occupations the OEWS survey tracks nationally. Occupations with too few workers locally to publish a reliable estimate are excluded by BLS.
Is this enough to live on in St. Louis, MO?
These are nominal wages — they are not adjusted for local housing, tax, or transport costs. A median that looks high in St. Louis, MO may buy less than a lower median in a cheaper metro. Use the all-occupation median of $48,290 as the local baseline and compare any specific job against that, not against the national number.
About these figures
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. OEWS surveys employers, so it excludes self-employed workers and independent contractors, and it reports wages rather than total compensation. Occupations with too few workers locally to produce a reliable estimate are suppressed by BLS and therefore absent from this page.
Full detail in the methodology. Original data: bls.gov/oes.