Missouri’s unemployment rate was 3.6% in September 2026 (preliminary), and the average weekly wage across all covered jobs was $1,354 in the first quarter of 2026, both per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state sales tax rate is 4.225%, per the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Missouri had about 6,191,814 residents and a median household income of $70,702 in the Census Bureau’s ACS 5-year 2020-2024 estimates. The median home value was $230,300 and the median rent $1,033 a month.
This page is for people who live, work or are thinking about moving here. It uses only federal and state agency data, each figure is dated, and nothing here is about who lives where. Read October 30, 2026.
People and Housing at a Glance
From the Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). These are survey estimates with margins of error, not exact counts; cities are city limits, unlike the metro areas below. Detail pages: housing costs and income, education and commute.
| Area | Population | Median age | Median household income | Median home value | Median rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 6,191,814 | 39.0 | $70,702 | $230,300 | $1,033 |
| St. Louis city | 288,512 | 36.8 | $56,160 | $197,500 | $997 |
| Kansas City city | 510,612 | 35.8 | $69,166 | $242,900 | $1,238 |
| Springfield city | 169,954 | 33.7 | $49,311 | $177,700 | $964 |
| Columbia city | 128,548 | 29.5 | $66,498 | $284,600 | $1,097 |
| Jefferson City city | 42,488 | 38.9 | $66,371 | $218,700 | $802 |
| Joplin city | 52,593 | 38.5 | $52,097 | $168,300 | $962 |
| St. Joseph city | 71,236 | 38.1 | $57,956 | $154,200 | $898 |
| Cape Girardeau city | 40,344 | 34.5 | $55,658 | $196,300 | $876 |
| St. Louis County | 995,569 | 40.3 | $82,936 | $276,800 | $1,209 |
| Jackson County | 719,976 | 37.0 | $68,577 | $230,500 | $1,197 |
| Greene County | 303,375 | 36.4 | $61,479 | $221,300 | $989 |
| Boone County | 188,043 | 32.7 | $72,758 | $272,800 | $1,088 |
Jobs and Pay by Metro Area
St. Louis metro has the highest average weekly wage of the metro areas we pulled ($1,491) and Cape Girardeau metro the lowest ($1,025). Columbia metro has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.7%. Metro areas follow federal definitions and can include counties in other states, so they are not city limits.
| Area | Unemployment rate | Average weekly wage | Jobs (March 2026) | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis metro | 3.4% | $1,491 | 1,312,446 | 100,659 |
| Kansas City metro | 3.4% | $1,464 | 1,078,551 | 80,388 |
| Columbia metro | 2.7% | $1,209 | 108,150 | 6,211 |
| St. Joseph metro | 3.4% | $1,180 | 55,003 | 3,907 |
| Jefferson City metro | 2.7% | $1,166 | 77,541 | 4,559 |
| Springfield metro | 3.1% | $1,084 | 222,781 | 16,830 |
| Joplin metro | 3.3% | $1,054 | 85,799 | 5,679 |
| Cape Girardeau metro | 3.0% | $1,025 | 43,804 | 3,261 |
Jobs and Pay by County
| Area | Unemployment rate | Average weekly wage | Jobs (March 2026) | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis city | 4.0% | $1,761 | 217,213 | 16,283 |
| St. Louis County | 3.6% | $1,654 | 584,641 | 48,684 |
| Jackson County | 3.3% | $1,498 | 370,538 | 27,081 |
| Boone County | 2.7% | $1,237 | 100,367 | 5,449 |
| Greene County | 3.1% | $1,129 | 180,577 | 11,943 |
Wages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (all ownerships, all industries; first quarter of 2026). Unemployment comes from its Local Area Unemployment Statistics, September 2026, preliminary and not seasonally adjusted. The full table is the open dataset (CSV and JSON), with a schema.
Taxes
The Missouri Department of Revenue says the state sales tax rate is 4.225%. The page prints no local rates; use the department’s lookup tool for a specific address. Source: Missouri Department of Revenue: sales and use tax (page undated, read October 30, 2026).
Moving and Cost Guides
Moving to Missouri
Licenses, vehicle title, voter registration and property tax from state pages.
Plan Around the Calendar
Moving here or just planning a weekend? Missouri state parks, drive times and events by region have the parks, drive times and event hubs.
What We Could Not Verify
- Census figures are estimates: each has a margin of error we did not print, and small places carry larger ones.
- The 2020 Census count and other vintages: we use only the latest five-year estimates.
- State gross domestic product and personal income: the Bureau of Economic Analysis data needs a key we have not requested, so we print none.
- The state income tax rate and local sales tax range: the Department of Revenue pages we reached do not print them.
- Property tax, school and health data: not collected. No health content is published here.
- Whether the September 2026 unemployment figures change when they are finalized; they are preliminary.
- Wage and job counts use the first quarter of 2026, the latest the API returned.
- Derived figures (owner-occupied rate, bachelor’s share, mean commute) are our arithmetic on Census table counts and are labelled derived on the detail pages.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
What is the unemployment rate in Missouri?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics put it at 3.6% for September 2026, preliminary.
What is the average weekly wage in Missouri?
$1,354 in the first quarter of 2026, across all covered jobs, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What is the sales tax in Missouri?
The state rate is 4.225%, per the Department of Revenue. Local rates are added and vary by place.
Sources
- BLS: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (Missouri series)
- BLS: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (Missouri)
- BLS: QCEW area titles
- Missouri Department of Revenue: sales and use tax
- Census Bureau: ACS 5-year estimates API
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/living/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.