SOC 25-3031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term — Missouri
Missouri · 8 metro areas compared
The median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in Missouri is $34,790 per year, 16.5% below the national median of $41,670.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +1.6%
- Openings per year
- 61,100
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
5.0% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
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
The median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in Missouri is $34,790 per year, 16.5% below the national median of $41,670. Pay ranges from under $29,220 at the tenth percentile to more than $49,850 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $30,610 to $37,690.
Employment stands at 11,480, or 3.9 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 50 states with published data for this occupation, Missouri ranks 36th by median wage. Kansas City leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $40,440. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 679th of 733 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $29,220 | −29.9% |
| 25th | $30,610 | −26.5% |
| Median (50th) | $34,790 | −16.5% |
| 75th | $37,690 | −9.6% |
| 90th | $49,850 | +19.6% |
| Mean | $39,250 | −5.8% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Missouri
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City | $40,440 | 5,000 | |
| 2 | St. Louis | $35,900 | 6,180 | |
| 3 | St. Joseph | $33,480 | 130 | |
| 4 | Springfield | $32,190 | 630 | |
| 5 | Jefferson City | $31,750 | 130 | |
| 6 | Joplin | $30,780 | 540 | |
| 7 | Columbia | $30,740 | 220 | |
| 8 | Cape Girardeau | $30,000 | 60 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Missouri run 9.2% below the national average, so the median of $34,790 goes as far as $38,315 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 8.1% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$34,790as reported by BLSLocal price level
90.8US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$38,315US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $34,790 a year, 16.5% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $29,220 to $49,850 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 11,480 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 36th of 50 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Kansas City, at $40,440.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term in Missouri?
The median annual wage is $34,790, or $16.73 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 $41,670, so pay in Missouri is 16.5% 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 $49,850 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $29,220 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 $40,440 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 11,480 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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