BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

09/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/16/2025 09:33

County Employment and Wages in Missouri — First Quarter 2025

News Release Information

25-1435-KAN
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (816) 285-7000

County Employment and Wages in Missouri - First Quarter 2025

Employment increased in 4 of the 7 largest counties in Missouri from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Boone County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment, with a gain of 1.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

View Chart Data
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Missouri, March 2025
County Percent change, March 2025

Boone

1.2

St. Charles

0.8

Greene

0.7

St. Louis City

0.4

Clay

-0.1

Jackson

-0.3

St. Louis

-0.9

Among the seven largest counties in Missouri, employment was highest in St. Louis County (587,600) in March 2025. Together, the seven largest counties accounted for 60.0 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025

All seven large Missouri counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) St. Louis City had the largest increase (+5.3 percent). Over-the-year wage gains for Missouri's other six large counties ranged from 5.2 percent to 0.1 percent.

View Chart Data
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Missouri, first quarter 2025
County Percent change, first quarter 2025

St. Louis City

5.3

St. Charles

5.2

Jackson

4.3

Boone

2.8

Clay

1.9

St. Louis

1.7

Greene

0.1

The weekly wage in 1 of the 7 largest counties in Missouri was above the national average of $1,589. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,703 in St. Louis City to $1,114 in Greene County.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 108 small counties in Missouri, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all 108 smaller counties were below the national average. Ste. Genevieve reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,244). Ripley reported the lowest average weekly wage ($608) in the state.

Among all 115 Missouri counties, 27 reported average weekly wages of $774 or lower, 23 had wages from $775 to $849, 30 had wages from $850 to $924, 16 had wages from $925 to $999, and 19 had average weekly wages of $1,000 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Missouri, first quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,589)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the seven largest counties in Missouri, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		First quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
first quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 -- 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Missouri

252.4 2,886.9 0.1 -- 1,310 31 3.2 38

Boone

5.3 100.1 1.2 66 1,186 291 2.8 228

Clay

6.9 109.9 -0.1 235 1,277 224 1.9 296

Greene

11.4 179.4 0.7 127 1,114 333 0.1 338

Jackson

26.0 372.2 -0.3 261 1,450 132 4.3 94

St. Charles

11.3 162.4 0.8 105 1,316 202 5.2 49

St. Louis

46.9 587.6 -0.9 329 1,588 83 1.7 304

St. Louis City

15.7 221.4 0.4 167 1,703 56 5.3 44

(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Missouri, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment March 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,249,320 154,523,785 1,589

Missouri

252,427 2,886,921 1,310

Adair

808 9,380 889

Andrew

491 2,762 738

Atchison

227 1,723 832

Audrain

641 7,989 947

Barry

987 13,145 878

Barton

346 3,493 849

Bates

476 3,745 809

Benton

569 3,725 753

Bollinger

255 1,824 744

Boone

5,266 100,070 1,186

Buchanan

2,702 46,303 1,191

Butler

1,578 18,348 925

Caldwell

245 1,896 765

Callaway

968 14,799 1,180

Camden

1,773 16,952 883

Cape Girardeau

2,893 41,454 1,009

Carroll

327 2,684 813

Carter

245 1,437 660

Cass

2,678 31,263 923

Cedar

406 3,529 765

Chariton

269 1,837 799

Christian

2,465 20,817 831

Clark

179 1,371 669

Clay

6,901 109,903 1,277

Clinton

500 4,677 889

Cole

2,768 54,770 1,101

Cooper

493 5,143 832

Crawford

703 6,729 970

Dade

190 1,732 758

Dallas

450 2,814 705

Daviess

296 1,850 749

De Kalb

281 2,605 869

Dent

561 3,756 819

Douglas

289 2,502 722

Dunklin

1,727 9,117 682

Franklin

3,090 39,629 1,020

Gasconade

546 4,981 780

Gentry

241 2,161 872

Greene

11,423 179,442 1,114

Grundy

285 2,902 798

Harrison

286 2,466 797

Henry

719 8,351 915

Hickory

204 1,542 705

Holt

182 1,294 874

Howard

237 2,507 765

Howell

1,442 15,345 879

Iron

592 3,450 926

Jackson

26,014 372,209 1,450

Jasper

3,597 57,184 970

Jefferson

4,745 49,456 967

Johnson

1,319 16,319 894

Knox

111 877 772

Laclede

899 13,316 884

Lafayette

966 8,701 852

Lawrence

981 8,975 888

Lewis

253 2,352 830

Lincoln

1,241 12,953 1,004

Linn

400 4,150 915

Livingston

486 6,216 876

McDonald

481 5,670 872

Macon

443 4,905 843

Madison

349 3,502 795

Maries

188 1,417 733

Marion

1,026 12,958 991

Mercer

119 802 885

Miller

787 7,767 829

Mississippi

409 2,913 846

Moniteau

364 4,044 934

Monroe

261 1,782 823

Montgomery

337 3,135 987

Morgan

647 4,521 755

New Madrid

944 7,457 863

Newton

1,534 23,155 1,041

Nodaway

646 8,251 827

Oregon

270 2,551 690

Osage

278 4,354 963

Ozark

266 1,520 635

Pemiscot

928 4,689 760

Perry

595 9,589 1,019

Pettis

1,347 19,783 978

Phelps

1,338 19,487 982

Pike

516 5,435 904

Platte

3,221 48,080 1,207

Polk

831 9,146 899

Pulaski

907 13,474 912

Putnam

141 971 864

Ralls

279 3,536 1,023

Randolph

684 9,383 955

Ray

472 3,978 890

Reynolds

272 1,656 933

Ripley

682 2,821 608

St. Charles

11,276 162,358 1,316

St. Clair

252 1,742 738

Ste. Genevieve

504 6,119 1,244

St. Francois

1,909 23,081 853

St. Louis

46,890 587,633 1,588

Saline

666 8,834 911

Schuyler

101 851 782

Scotland

154 1,285 822

Scott

1,327 16,179 976

Shannon

242 1,562 660

Shelby

207 1,805 861

Stoddard

874 10,050 874

Stone

898 7,278 769

Sullivan

150 2,339 1,036

Taney

2,205 27,604 836

Texas

635 5,886 805

Vernon

745 7,066 906

Warren

793 8,509 962

Washington

775 5,060 781

Wayne

399 2,258 760

Webster

916 8,555 863

Worth

68 364 635

Wright

602 4,710 757

St. Louis City

15,700 221,402 1,703

(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2025
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2024-25 		First quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
first quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Alabama

163.3 2,102.3 0.3 1,245 39 3.8 23

Alaska

25.3 323.5 1.3 1,452 20 5.8 4

Arizona

226.1 3,259.3 0.3 1,431 21 3.8 23

Arkansas

107.6 1,304.4 0.7 1,236 40 5.6 6

California

1,945.4 18,066.2 0.1 1,905 6 4.2 13

Colorado

242.4 2,862.7 0.1 1,681 8 4.2 13

Connecticut

148.5 1,671.7 0.5 1,980 4 3.8 23

Delaware

45.4 474.3 0.8 1,535 15 3.4 30

District of Columbia

51.5 748.9 -1.4 2,606 1 7.2 1

Florida

886.5 9,958.4 0.9 1,456 19 5.1 8

Georgia

394.8 4,860.7 0.4 1,491 17 3.4 30

Hawaii

60.3 644.8 0.6 1,363 27 6.7 2

Idaho

102.7 848.2 1.2 1,178 48 4.2 13

Illinois

407.1 5,988.9 0.2 1,662 9 3.2 38

Indiana

194.8 3,161.4 0.3 1,323 30 4.2 13

Iowa

111.3 1,537.7 -0.5 1,253 36 3.2 38

Kansas

104.3 1,428.0 0.8 1,246 38 4.0 19

Kentucky

159.6 1,986.3 0.0 1,213 44 2.4 51

Louisiana

157.0 1,921.2 0.5 1,227 42 2.8 49

Maine

66.6 629.6 0.1 1,283 34 2.7 50

Maryland

197.7 2,739.0 -0.2 1,634 10 3.2 38

Massachusetts

289.8 3,575.8 -0.7 2,107 3 4.6 11

Michigan

307.3 4,337.3 -0.3 1,391 24 2.9 48

Minnesota

211.8 2,878.6 -0.1 1,570 14 3.7 27

Mississippi

91.3 1,160.4 -0.4 1,018 51 4.1 17

Missouri

252.4 2,886.9 0.1 1,310 31 3.2 38

Montana

67.1 505.8 0.6 1,189 46 5.6 6

Nebraska

78.6 1,008.4 -0.1 1,231 41 3.1 42

Nevada

106.1 1,541.2 0.2 1,359 29 4.1 17

New Hampshire

66.3 681.0 0.1 1,606 11 4.8 9

New Jersey

338.9 4,259.0 1.1 1,815 7 3.0 44

New Mexico

66.8 868.2 0.3 1,203 45 3.9 22

New York

716.1 9,757.0 1.4 2,213 2 6.2 3

North Carolina

373.2 4,888.5 0.2 1,467 18 4.8 9

North Dakota

36.4 422.8 0.6 1,302 33 3.3 34

Ohio

344.2 5,466.8 0.2 1,361 28 3.5 28

Oklahoma

130.9 1,700.2 0.5 1,186 47 3.0 44

Oregon

186.2 1,965.7 -0.8 1,420 23 3.3 34

Pennsylvania

394.5 6,003.5 0.6 1,500 16 3.5 28

Rhode Island

49.0 489.3 1.0 1,429 22 3.0 44

South Carolina

198.7 2,304.9 1.7 1,247 37 4.4 12

South Dakota

40.5 450.5 0.2 1,163 49 3.0 44

Tennessee

221.0 3,251.5 -0.4 1,364 26 4.0 19

Texas

847.6 14,015.9 1.2 1,587 13 3.1 42

Utah

138.1 1,720.5 1.1 1,365 25 4.0 19

Vermont

33.5 306.8 -0.4 1,280 35 3.8 23

Virginia

321.9 4,108.8 0.8 1,605 12 3.4 30

Washington

240.9 3,583.7 0.9 1,935 5 5.8 4

West Virginia

61.9 694.6 0.0 1,149 50 3.3 34

Wisconsin

208.9 2,898.4 -0.2 1,305 32 3.4 30

Wyoming

31.0 274.6 0.0 1,216 43 3.3 34

Puerto Rico

52.0 946.1 -0.7 699 (3) 3.2 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 33.8 -7.5 1,034 (3) 2.7 (3)

(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on September 16, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 16, 2025 at 15:34 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]