Average Salaries in Kansas City, MO-KS
Explore salaries across 623 occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $67.6K, +2.7% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 623 occupations and 1,081,770 total jobs in Kansas City, MO-KS.
How the metro compares
Wages in Kansas City, MO-KS track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Kansas City, MO-KS has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Anesthesiologists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiologists | $477.9K | 290 |
| Pediatricians, General | $271.4K | 70 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $224.3K | 70 |
| Chief Executives | $221.6K | 990 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $218.1K | 980 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $214K | 590 |
| Dentists, General | $171.7K | 1,070 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $168.1K | 4,710 |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, And Hearing Officers | $164.5K | 60 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $162.7K | 1,820 |
Largest occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 31,080 | $90.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 29,650 | $83K |
| Retail Salespersons | 26,110 | $34.3K |
| Cashiers | 24,160 | $30.7K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 23,580 | $36.9K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 22,240 | $44.4K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 20,870 | $32.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 20,120 | $29.6K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 19,070 | $41.7K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 18,230 | $60.2K |
What Kansas City, MO-KS specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Kansas City, MO-KS than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Kansas City, MO-KS
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Dredge Operators | 5.46 | $49K |
| Tax Examiners And Collectors, And Revenue Agents | 4.97 | $50.3K |
| Umpires, Referees, And Other Sports Officials | 4.37 | $37.7K |
| Athletes And Sports Competitors | 3.08 | $78.8K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 3.07 | $30.2K |
| Air Traffic Controllers | 2.69 | $161.7K |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 2.68 | $218.1K |
| Dancers | 2.66 | N/A |
| Chemical Engineers | 2.54 | $102.3K |
| Cutters And Trimmers, Hand | 2.40 | $39.3K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Kansas City, MO-KS
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.