Average Salaries in St. Louis, MO-IL
Explore salaries across 668 occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $63.7K, +3.5% 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 2024 estimates. Coverage: 668 occupations and 1,315,170 total jobs in St. Louis, MO-IL.
How the metro compares
Wages in St. Louis, MO-IL track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
St. Louis, MO-IL has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Pediatricians, General. 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 St. Louis, MO-IL
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.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Pediatricians, General | $211.1K | 110 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $200.0K | N/A |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $192.1K | 310 |
| Physicists | $180.5K | 50 |
| Chief Executives | $172.6K | 1,840 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $161.5K | 520 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $156.2K | 180 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $155.1K | 1,160 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $154.8K | 4,680 |
| Financial Managers | $140.2K | 6,890 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 45,370 | $83.4K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 42,390 | $29.7K |
| Registered Nurses | 33,660 | $82.6K |
| Cashiers | 29,960 | $30.3K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 29,480 | $37.5K |
| Retail Salespersons | 28,680 | $33.1K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 26,860 | $44.3K |
| Office Clerks, General | 25,260 | $43.0K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 23,470 | $39.2K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 21,660 | $29.9K |
What St. Louis, MO-IL 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 St. Louis, MO-IL than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Museum Technicians And Conservators | 7.38 | $47.1K |
| Pourers And Casters, Metal | 4.32 | N/A |
| Foundry Mold And Coremakers | 4.15 | $59.4K |
| Set And Exhibit Designers | 3.43 | $61.9K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 3.12 | $30.4K |
| Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, And Hard Tiles | 3.08 | $67.5K |
| Food Scientists And Technologists | 2.91 | $102.3K |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | 2.79 | $49.5K |
| Umpires, Referees, And Other Sports Officials | 2.61 | $37.3K |
| Rail Transportation Workers, All Other | 2.33 | $45.5K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for St. Louis, MO-IL
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.