State MO
Period May 2025
Price level 90.8
Data updated October 25, 2026

Highest-paying jobs in Missouri

The highest published median in Missouri is for orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric, at $842,800 a year. For 2 more occupations, BLS reports the median only as “$239,200 or more”; they are listed below the table. The median for all occupations in the state is $47,800, against $50,980 nationally.

Missouri · all occupationsMay 2025

Median / yr: $47,800
Mean / yr: $62,160
Price level (U.S.=100): 90.8
Median, price-adjusted: $52,633
Adjusted rank: 25 of 51
Jobs: 2,936,050

Price-adjusted = median ÷ (BEA 2024 regional price parity ÷ 100). Compare all states.

The 50 best-paid occupations in Missouri

MO · Src BLS-OEWS · May 2025Top 50 of 731

Top 50 occupations in Missouri by median annual wage
No.	Occupation	Median in MO	U.S. median	Employed in MO
1	Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric	$842,800	$358,550	—
2	Cardiologists	$648,070	$496,010	150
3	Emergency Medicine Physicians	$456,280	$335,550	—
4	Orthodontists	$332,630	$289,140	—
5	Psychiatrists	$312,680	$281,870	240
6	Physicians, Pathologists	$261,830	$312,400	—
7	Nurse Anesthetists	$242,630	$236,590	1,550
8	Dentists, All Other Specialists	$230,130	$224,990	30
9	Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$228,410	$300,080	—
10	Physicians, All Other	$227,980	$265,930	3,990
11	Pediatricians, General	$223,910	$210,040	500
12	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$216,570	$256,560	160
13	Dentists, General	$204,960	$170,950	2,440
14	Athletes and Sports Competitors	$172,700	$66,710	670
15	Chief Executives	$172,320	$213,990	2,550
16	Family Medicine Physicians	$171,180	$244,180	3,740
17	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$159,460	$175,140	11,130
18	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$157,800	$171,270	2,250
19	Financial Managers	$143,460	$166,570	13,330
20	Physicists	$140,460	$172,250	90
21	Pharmacists	$137,610	$140,910	6,740
22	Physician Assistants	$135,130	$135,880	2,300
23	Psychologists, All Other	$134,890	$110,840	250
24	Optometrists	$133,810	$136,570	630
25	Lawyers	$133,450	$159,670	11,560
26	Purchasing Managers	$132,100	$148,080	960
27	Human Resources Managers	$130,680	$149,280	3,510
28	Aerospace Engineers	$130,680	$134,960	650
29	Marketing Managers	$130,550	$166,790	6,550
30	Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary	$130,500	$99,650	160
31	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	$130,490	$107,310	5,700
32	Nurse Midwives	$130,220	$134,040	80
33	Podiatrists	$129,950	$160,300	160
34	Nurse Practitioners	$129,930	$132,300	7,710
35	Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers	$129,670	$117,860	160
36	Medical Dosimetrists	$129,610	$147,470	80
37	Natural Sciences Managers	$129,410	$167,220	1,230
38	Actuaries	$129,220	$130,000	390
39	Computer and Information Research Scientists	$127,820	$140,300	230
40	Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers	$126,750	$109,910	450
41	Software Developers	$126,120	$135,980	20,020
42	Managers, All Other	$125,760	$141,900	11,420
43	Air Traffic Controllers	$122,200	$148,080	260
44	Electrical Engineers	$118,670	$120,630	2,410
45	Industrial Production Managers	$117,660	$126,060	4,110
46	Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	$117,630	$130,220	740
47	Economists	$117,010	$124,720	280
48	Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	$116,530	$123,920	150
49	Hydrologists	$116,100	$96,600	50
50	Sales Managers	$115,370	$148,270	7,630

Median reported only as “$239,200 or more” in Missouri: Surgeons, All Other, Anesthesiologists. The exact figures are not published, so these are not ranked.

Dashes mean the employment estimate was not published.

Best-paid occupations with at least 1,000 jobs in Missouri

Nurse Anesthetists — $242,630 (1,550 jobs)
Physicians, All Other — $227,980 (3,990 jobs)
Dentists, General — $204,960 (2,440 jobs)
Chief Executives — $172,320 (2,550 jobs)
Family Medicine Physicians — $171,180 (3,740 jobs)
Computer and Information Systems Managers — $159,460 (11,130 jobs)
Architectural and Engineering Managers — $157,800 (2,250 jobs)
Financial Managers — $143,460 (13,330 jobs)
Pharmacists — $137,610 (6,740 jobs)
Physician Assistants — $135,130 (2,300 jobs)

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state file.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024.