The local economy of Missouri and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.5%
-0.5 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Atchison County 2.9%, highest Mississippi County 6.2%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,354
+3.4%vs a year ago
2,890,458 jobs at 263,493 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
18,495
+13.4%this year vs last year
Most in Jackson County 3,615, St. Charles County 2,140.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+8,730
+1.8 per 1,000residents
126,617 moved in and 117,887 moved out. Most newcomers came from Kansas.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Missouri gas price
$4.01
+$1.26vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Jefferson County $3.77, highest Reynolds County $4.30. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Missouri, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
151K
-1.5%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.63M
+2.6%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$160.7B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$61,049
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $123,094.
Per employee per year
Share of Missouri's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 216,564 | $22,011 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 136,447 | $71,872 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 86,543 | $123,094 |
| Employment Services | 63,717 | $56,835 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 58,538 | $29,736 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 52,834 | $64,387 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 49,826 | $80,305 |
| Grocery Stores | 46,470 | $23,965 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 45,435 | $102,763 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 44,234 | $77,512 |
| Offices of Physicians | 42,523 | $120,032 |
| Individual and Family Services | 42,027 | $32,336 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $94,640 a year in 5,621 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Missouri, up 7.0% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$94,640
+7.0%vs 2024
Middle half: $75,858 to $122,429.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
5,621
+10.3%vs 2024
7,355 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$110,956
Software Developers, 1,964 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$84,193
-10.9%vs 2024
1,526 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in Missouri, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 1,964 | $110,956 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 475 | $102,149 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 235 | $67,500 |
| Data Scientists | 223 | $89,115 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 204 | $83,356 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 146 | $90,000 |
| Computer Programmers | 134 | $73,920 |
| Physicians, All Other | 119 | $239,200 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 113 | $240,000 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 101 | $158,000 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Mastercard Technologies, LLC | 417 | 5 |
| Washington University | 404 | 6 |
| Charter Communications, Inc. CHTR | 188 | 4 |
| The Curators of the University of Missouri | 168 | 9 |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 146 | 19 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited TCS.NS | 87 | 9 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 73 | 14 |
| Infinite Computer Solutions, Inc. | 69 | 8 |
| Wipro Limited WIT | 62 | 4 |
| SSM Health Care Group | 54 | 1 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 1,690 | $90,397 | $70,288 to $129,792 |
| O'Fallon | 596 | $100,329 | $90,397 to $118,802 |
| Kansas City | 570 | $92,438 | $72,316 to $126,988 |
| Maryland Heights | 499 | $99,362 | $87,825 to $118,706 |
| OFallon | 292 | $115,000 | $94,000 to $138,000 |
| Chesterfield | 247 | $100,256 | $87,630 to $129,618 |
| Columbia | 222 | $70,000 | $56,451 to $110,017 |
| Jefferson City | 127 | $79,810 | $70,000 to $97,460 |
| Springfield | 127 | $97,100 | $72,332 to $131,700 |
| St. Charles | 97 | $104,319 | $85,000 to $134,992 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of Missouri added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
Missouri has had 88 declared disasters and emergencies since 1957, 58 of them since 2000, most often Severe Storm. Flood insurance has paid $983.7 million on 51,304 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 1993 ($208.5 million).
Declared disasters
58
49 major disasters. Most often Severe Storm (48 since 1957).
Since 2000, all types; 88 since 1957
Flood claims paid
$256.5M
5,678 claims. Biggest year 1993 ($208.5M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
15,035
Average premium $1,364 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
29
Webster County, latest Aug 3, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for Missouri, 1957 to today
Claims paid in Missouri by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1957
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 107.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis County | 12,031 | $264.8M | 3,939 |
| 2 | St. Charles County | 9,999 | $155.9M | 1,708 |
| 3 | Jefferson County | 4,592 | $69.3M | 1,043 |
| 4 | Jackson County | 2,115 | $45.7M | 1,085 |
| 5 | Holt County | 1,254 | $39.3M | 250 |
| 6 | Lincoln County | 2,253 | $37.1M | 344 |
| 7 | Franklin County | 1,097 | $32.2M | 383 |
| 8 | Buchanan County | 623 | $22.9M | 390 |
| 9 | Taney County | 400 | $18.5M | 501 |
| 10 | Platte County | 368 | $13.0M | 243 |
| 11 | McDonald County | 386 | $12.8M | 126 |
| 12 | Ripley County | 244 | $12.4M | 72 |
| 13 | Phelps County | 305 | $11.6M | 140 |
| 14 | Marion County | 535 | $11.2M | 156 |
| 15 | Cape Girardeau County | 1,074 | $11.2M | 218 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in Missouri, from official public data.
Official public data lists 16,347 facilities in Missouri with records since 2010, 16,286 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Abf Freight System INC in Saint Louis ($535,000). 147 large facilities reported 59.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 15.5% from 2022.
Facilities with records
16,347
16,286 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$535K
Abf Freight System INC, Saint Louis.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
59.7M t
-15.5%vs 2022
147 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
15.4M t
Labadie, Labadie.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Abf Freight System INC Saint Louis | $535,000 | 2 |
| Abf Freight System INC Columbia | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Terminal 234 Springfield Strafford | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Terminal 023 Joplin Joplin | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight System, INC. Sikeston | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight System, INC. Sullivan | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight System, INC. Sedalia | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight System, INC. St. Joseph | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight Kansas City | $535,000 | 0 |
| Enersys Energy Products INC Warrensburg Warrensburg | $430,500 | 12 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Labadie Labadie | 15,388,715 |
| Thomas Hill Energy Center - Power Div Clifton Hill | 5,958,156 |
| Iatan Generating Station Weston | 4,663,771 |
| New Madrid Power Plant New Madrid | 4,327,992 |
| Ameren Missouri Sioux Energy Center West Alton | 3,233,285 |
| Holcim (US) INC Ste Genevieve Plant Bloomsdale | 2,967,851 |
| Mississippi Lime Sainte Genevieve | 2,525,594 |
| Hawthorn Generating Station Kansas City | 2,437,549 |
| John Twitty Springfield | 1,915,922 |
| River Cement CO. DBA Buzzi Unicem USA Selma Plant Festus | 1,557,125 |
Large facilities in Missouri, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in Missouri, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcBest Corporation ARCB | 6 | $3.21M | - |
| 3M Company MMM | 4 | $170K | 31K |
| Owens Corning OC | 2 | $111K | 80K |
| Ameren Corporation AEE | 8 | $11K | 19.6M |
| GFL Environmental Inc. GFL | 2 | $3,750 | 152K |
| General Motors Company GM | 2 | $3,750 | 69K |
| Archer-Daniels-Midland Company ADM | 12 | $0 | 69K |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Missouri, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Missouri is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Missouri, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Missouri was 3.5% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.0% a year earlier. 3,057,441 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,169,856. Among its counties, Atchison County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Mississippi County the highest (6.2%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Missouri was $1,354 in Q1 2026, up 3.4% from a year earlier, across 2,890,458 jobs at 263,493 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 2,198 new homes in Missouri in August 2026 (1,050 single-family and 1,078 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 12,831, up 13.4% from the same months last year, and 18,495 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Jackson County (3,615), St. Charles County (2,140), Taney County (1,235) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 126,617 people moved to Missouri and 117,887 moved away, a net gain of 8,730 (+1.8 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Kansas, Illinois, Texas, and most people who left went to Kansas, Illinois, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Missouri averaged $4.01 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.26 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.00. Among its counties, Jefferson County had the lowest regular price ($3.77) and Reynolds County the highest ($4.30).
Health Care and Social Assistance (427,714 employees), Retail Trade (314,186 employees), Manufacturing (283,563 employees) were the largest sectors in Missouri in 2023. In all, 151,475 business locations employed 2,631,543 people at an average pay of $61,049 a year.
$94,640 a year was the median pay offered in 5,621 certified H-1B filings for jobs in Missouri in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 7.0% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $75,858 to $122,429. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Mastercard Technologies, LLC (417), Washington University (404), Charter Communications, Inc. (188), The Curators of the University of Missouri (168), Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. (146) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in Missouri in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (1,964 filings, median $110,956), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (475 filings, median $102,149), Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (235 filings, median $67,500) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in Missouri in fiscal year 2025.
$115,000 was the median offered pay in OFallon, the highest among the Missouri cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (292 filings).
$84,193 a year was the median pay offered in 1,526 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in Missouri in fiscal year 2025.
88 disasters and emergencies have been declared for Missouri since 1957, 58 of them since 2000 (49 major disasters). The most common type is Severe Storm (48 declarations).
Webster County, with 29 declarations since 2000, followed by Scott County (26) and Barry County (25). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$983.7 million on 51,304 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 1993, with $208.5 million paid on 9,045 claims. St. Louis County received the most ($264.8 million).
$1,364 a year in 2025, across 15,035 flood insurance policies in Missouri. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.