SOC 35-9099 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other — Missouri
Missouri · 4 metro areas compared
In Missouri the median wage is $28,600.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +6.4%
- Openings per year
- 14,600
- Typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
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 $28,600. That is 20.2% lower than the national median of $35,840. Pay ranges from under $28,600 at the tenth percentile to more than $46,800 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $28,600 to $35,500.
Missouri ranks number 37th out of 44 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Kansas City records the highest median at $35,820. Of the 733 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 732nd.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $28,600 | −20.2% |
| 25th | $28,600 | −20.2% |
| Median (50th) | $28,600 | −20.2% |
| 75th | $35,500 | −0.9% |
| 90th | $46,800 | +30.6% |
| Mean | $34,690 | −3.2% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Missouri
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City | $35,820 | — | |
| 2 | Jefferson City | $35,710 | 70 | |
| 3 | Springfield | $32,740 | — | |
| 4 | St. Louis | $28,600 | — |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Missouri run 9.2% below the national average, so the median of $28,600 goes as far as $31,498 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 12.1% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$28,600as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$31,498US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $28,600 a year, 20.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $28,600 to $46,800 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- It ranks 37th of 44 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Kansas City, at $35,820.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers, All Other in Missouri?
The median annual wage is $28,600, or $13.75 per hour, 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 $35,840, so pay in Missouri is 20.2% 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 $46,800 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $28,600 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 $35,820 per year.
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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