Average Salaries in St. Louis, MO-IL
Explore salaries across 661 occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $68.1K, +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 2025 estimates. Coverage: 661 occupations and 1,313,530 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 Radiologists. 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.
Highest-paid occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Radiologists | $468.9K | 170 |
| Psychiatrists | $298.2K | 100 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $276.6K | 120 |
| Physicians, All Other | $246.4K | 2,470 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $232.3K | 650 |
| Pediatricians, General | $223.9K | 320 |
| Dentists, General | $210.4K | 1,250 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $207.5K | N/A |
| Athletes And Sports Competitors | $203.4K | 320 |
| Chief Executives | $202.8K | 1,120 |
Largest occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 46,410 | $93.1K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 44,200 | $34.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 35,200 | $83.2K |
| Cashiers | 31,130 | $32.4K |
| Retail Salespersons | 29,750 | $33.8K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 28,940 | $37.8K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 23,760 | $45.8K |
| Office Clerks, General | 22,540 | $45K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 21,340 | $41.8K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 20,170 | $31.2K |
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.
Most concentrated occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Engineers | 7.93 | $124.3K |
| Museum Technicians And Conservators | 7.09 | $50.7K |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.16 | $62.1K |
| Umpires, Referees, And Other Sports Officials | 3.83 | $34.4K |
| Tank Car, Truck, And Ship Loaders | 3.46 | $61K |
| Rock Splitters, Quarry | 3.44 | $61K |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 3.20 | $30.9K |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | 2.54 | $79.2K |
| Athletes And Sports Competitors | 2.44 | $203.4K |
| Food Scientists And Technologists | 2.44 | $108.2K |
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 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.