MERIC's 2006 Occupational Employment Statistics Survey gathered employment and wage information for 713 occupations in the state of Missouri. These occupations accounted for 2.7 million jobs with an annual average wage of $35,670 compared to $39,190 nationwide.
The highest paying occupations in Missouri were:
- Surgeons
- Anesthesiologists
- Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- Orthodontists
- Internists
The
highest annual average wage was for Surgeons. Their salary of
$193,180 was nearly $10,000 higher than the national average for
this occupation. Other Missouri occupations with a higher annual
average wage than the national average are: Internists-General,
Family & General Practitioners, Psychiatrists,
Dentists-General, Podiatrists, & Judges, Magistrate Judges,
and Magistrates.
The lowest paying occupation was Gaming Dealers, whose annual
average wage of $14,340 was over $2,500 lower than the national
average for this occupation. None of the 25 lowest paying
occupations in Missouri had higher annual average wages than the
national average for the corresponding occupations.
Highest Paying Occupations
The major SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) group of
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations accounted for 14
of Missouri's 25 highest paying occupations. Further, the top 11
occupations and 12 of the top 14 occupations in annual average
wage are contained in this major SOC.
Among the remaining highest paying occupations, there are four Management Occupations, two Legal Occupations, and two Education Occupations. The other three were in Computer & Mathematical Science, Transportation & Moving, and Sports Occupations.
The following table of the 25 highest paying occupations accounted for 44,960 jobs, or nearly 1.7 percent of all Missouri occupations. The average annual wage for these 25 occupations was $123,164.
Missouri's 25 Highest Paying Occupations
| Occupation Title | MO
Annual Average Wage |
National Average Wage |
| Surgeons | $193,180 | $184,150 |
| Anesthesiologists | $179,590 | $184,340 |
| Obstetricians and gynecologists | $177,370 | $178,040 |
| Orthodontists | $170,590 | $176,900 |
| Internists, general | $165,020 | $160,860 |
| Oral and maxillofacial surgeons | $157,550 | $164,760 |
| Family and general practitioners | $157,330 | $149,850 |
| Psychiatrists | $155,620 | $149,990 |
| Dentists, general | $146,990 | $140,950 |
| Physicians and surgeons, all other | $141,760 | $142,220 |
| Podiatrists | $141,540 | $118,500 |
| Athletes and sports competitors | $140,160 | $74,440 |
| Chief executives | $138,930 | $144,600 |
| Pediatricians, general | $135,730 | $141,440 |
| Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates | $134,690 | $95,640 |
| Air traffic controllers | $112,080 | $110,270 |
| Actuaries | $107,000 | $91,810 |
| Lawyers | $105,130 | $113,660 |
| Law teachers, postsecondary | $103,450 | $94,290 |
| Sales managers | $102,640 | $102,730 |
| Health specialties teachers, postsecondary | $101,790 | $91,260 |
| Marketing managers | $101,270 | $107,610 |
| Financial managers | $100,580 | $101,450 |
| Physicists | $97,900 | $95,580 |
| Dentists, all other specialists | $97,700 | $108,340 |
Lowest Paying Occupations
The major SOC group of Food Preparation and Serving Related
Occupations accounted for 11 of Missouri's 25 lowest paying
occupations. Further, this SOC group contains six of the seven
lowest paying occupations and nine of the 15 lowest paying
occupations in Missouri.
Among the remaining lowest paying occupations, six are in Personal Care Occupations, two in Protective Services and one each in Sales and Related, Healthcare Support, Office of Administrative Support, Building Cleaning, Production, and Transportation and Material Moving Occupations.
The table for the 25 lowest paying occupations accounted for 361,110 total jobs or 13.4 percent of all Missouri occupations. The average annual wage for these 25 occupations was $16,445.
Missouri's 25 Lowest Paying Occupations
| Occupation Title | MO
Annual Average Wage |
National Average Wage |
| Gaming dealers | $14,340 | $17,010 |
| Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers | $15,230 | $16,320 |
| Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food | $15,280 | $15,930 |
| Dishwashers | $15,330 | $16,190 |
| Cooks, fast food | $15,500 | $15,960 |
| Waiters and waitresses | $15,560 | $17,190 |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | $15,740 | $16,860 |
| Motion picture projectionists | $16,000 | $20,180 |
| Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop | $16,110 | $16,950 |
| Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers | $16,140 | $18,410 |
| Food servers, nonrestaurant | $16,700 | $19,710 |
| Parking lot attendants | $16,990 | $18,450 |
| Cashiers | $17,050 | $17,930 |
| Food preparation workers | $17,250 | $18,480 |
| Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers | $17,300 | $17,500 |
| Amusement and recreation attendants | $17,310 | $17,530 |
| Child care workers | $17,340 | $18,820 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners | $17,380 | $18,700 |
| Personal and home care aides | $17,470 | $18,180 |
| Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks | $17,640 | $19,480 |
| Cooks, short order | $17,770 | $18,710 |
| Crossing guards | $17,890 | $22,270 |
| Home health aides | $17,910 | $20,100 |
| Bartenders | $17,910 | $18,540 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | $18,220 | $18,890 |
Updated June 18, 2007
