SOC 25-2021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education — Missouri
Missouri · 8 metro areas compared
In Missouri the median wage is $50,910.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -2.0%
- Openings per year
- 91,000
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Missouri.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
In Missouri the median wage is $50,910. That is 20.4% lower than the national median of $63,970. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $47,200 and $61,620. The lowest tenth earn under $39,980, while the highest tenth earn more than $78,820.
The area has 33,180 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.27 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Among the 51 states with published data for this occupation, Missouri ranks 48th by median wage. Kansas City leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $61,060. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 436th of 733 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $39,980 | −37.5% |
| 25th | $47,200 | −26.2% |
| Median (50th) | $50,910 | −20.4% |
| 75th | $61,620 | −3.7% |
| 90th | $78,820 | +23.2% |
| Mean | $56,730 | −11.3% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Missouri
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City | $61,060 | 11,500 | |
| 2 | St. Louis | $60,650 | 13,440 | |
| 3 | Springfield | $49,380 | 2,400 | |
| 4 | St. Joseph | $49,140 | 770 | |
| 5 | Joplin | $48,770 | 1,100 | |
| 6 | Jefferson City | $47,960 | 600 | |
| 7 | Columbia | $47,920 | 840 | |
| 8 | Cape Girardeau | $47,100 | 1,030 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Missouri run 9.2% below the national average, so the median of $50,910 goes as far as $56,068 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 12.4% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$50,910as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$56,068US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $50,910 a year, 20.4% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $39,980 to $78,820 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 33,180 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 48th of 51 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Kansas City, at $61,060.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Missouri?
The median annual wage is $50,910, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $63,970, so pay in Missouri is 20.4% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Missouri earns more than $78,820 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $39,980 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Kansas City, at $61,060 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 33,180 jobs in this occupation in Missouri. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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