Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW)

St. Louis city had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 115 counties in 2016, at $1,100. Shannon County had the lowest, at $449. The median was $612 and the figure for Missouri was $887. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,100St. Louis city
Median612115 counties
Missouri887History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 604 USDAndrew County: 604 USDAtchison County: 579 USDAudrain County: 653 USDBarry County: 712 USDBarton County: 569 USDBates County: 583 USDBenton County: 541 USDBollinger County: 521 USDBoone County: 809 USDBuchanan County: 801 USDButler County: 629 USDCaldwell County: 579 USDCallaway County: 773 USDCamden County: 576 USDCape Girardeau County: 742 USDCarroll County: 598 USDCarter County: 492 USDCass County: 645 USDCedar County: 508 USDChariton County: 579 USDChristian County: 590 USDClark County: 501 USDClay County: 899 USDClinton County: 626 USDCole County: 776 USDCooper County: 590 USDCrawford County: 704 USDDade County: 549 USDDallas County: 495 USDDaviess County: 525 USDDeKalb County: 690 USDDent County: 559 USDDouglas County: 510 USDDunklin County: 500 USDFranklin County: 726 USDGasconade County: 556 USDGentry County: 612 USDGreene County: 780 USDGrundy County: 631 USDHarrison County: 534 USDHenry County: 680 USDHickory County: 474 USDHolt County: 636 USDHoward County: 566 USDHowell County: 612 USDIron County: 739 USDJackson County: 1,027 USDJasper County: 753 USDJefferson County: 681 USDJohnson County: 662 USDKnox County: 491 USDLaclede County: 621 USDLafayette County: 606 USDLawrence County: 657 USDLewis County: 579 USDLincoln County: 714 USDLinn County: 633 USDLivingston County: 621 USDMcDonald County: 640 USDMacon County: 620 USDMadison County: 537 USDMaries County: 553 USDMarion County: 670 USDMercer County: 653 USDMiller County: 588 USDMississippi County: 575 USDMoniteau County: 597 USDMonroe County: 571 USDMontgomery County: 611 USDMorgan County: 521 USDNew Madrid County: 660 USDNewton County: 652 USDNodaway County: 633 USDOregon County: 467 USDOsage County: 650 USDOzark County: 452 USDPemiscot County: 583 USDPerry County: 680 USDPettis County: 642 USDPhelps County: 721 USDPike County: 617 USDPlatte County: 857 USDPolk County: 635 USDPulaski County: 696 USDPutnam County: 531 USDRalls County: 822 USDRandolph County: 662 USDRay County: 637 USDReynolds County: 474 USDRipley County: 449 USDSt. Charles County: 836 USDSt. Clair County: 499 USDSte. Genevieve County: 786 USDSt. Francois County: 582 USDSt. Louis County: 1,076 USDSaline County: 626 USDSchuyler County: 486 USDScotland County: 556 USDScott County: 671 USDShannon County: 449 USDShelby County: 515 USDStoddard County: 642 USDStone County: 579 USDSullivan County: 745 USDTaney County: 564 USDTexas County: 555 USDVernon County: 668 USDWarren County: 690 USDWashington County: 535 USDWayne County: 476 USDWebster County: 596 USDWorth County: 490 USDWright County: 551 USDSt. Louis city: 1,100 USD
  • Under 520
  • 520 to 580
  • 580 to 610
  • 610 to 650
  • 650 to 710
  • 710 and over
USD, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

St. Louis city: 1,100 USDSt. Louis city1,100St. Louis County: 1,076 USDSt. Louis County1,076Jackson County: 1,027 USDJackson County1,027Clay County: 899 USDClay County899Platte County: 857 USDPlatte County857St. Charles County: 836 USDSt. Charles County836Ralls County: 822 USDRalls County822Boone County: 809 USDBoone County809Buchanan County: 801 USDBuchanan County801Ste. Genevieve County: 786 USDSte. Genevieve County786Greene County: 780 USDGreene County780Cole County: 776 USDCole County776Callaway County: 773 USDCallaway County773Jasper County: 753 USDJasper County753Sullivan County: 745 USDSullivan County745Cape Girardeau County: 742 USDCape Girardeau County742Iron County: 739 USDIron County739Franklin County: 726 USDFranklin County726Phelps County: 721 USDPhelps County721Lincoln County: 714 USDLincoln County714Barry County: 712 USDBarry County712Crawford County: 704 USDCrawford County704Pulaski County: 696 USDPulaski County696DeKalb County: 690 USDDeKalb County690Warren County: 690 USDWarren County690Jefferson County: 681 USDJefferson County681Henry County: 680 USDHenry County680Perry County: 680 USDPerry County680Scott County: 671 USDScott County671Marion County: 670 USDMarion County670Vernon County: 668 USDVernon County668Johnson County: 662 USDJohnson County662Randolph County: 662 USDRandolph County662New Madrid County: 660 USDNew Madrid County660Lawrence County: 657 USDLawrence County657Audrain County: 653 USDAudrain County653Mercer County: 653 USDMercer County653Newton County: 652 USDNewton County652Osage County: 650 USDOsage County650Cass County: 645 USDCass County645St. Louis city: 1,100 USDSt. Louis city1,100St. Louis County: 1,076 USDSt. Louis County1,076Jackson County: 1,027 USDJackson County1,027Clay County: 899 USDClay County899Platte County: 857 USDPlatte County857St. Charles County: 836 USDSt. Charles County836Ralls County: 822 USDRalls County822Boone County: 809 USDBoone County809Buchanan County: 801 USDBuchanan County801Ste. Genevieve County: 786 USDSte. Genevieve County786Greene County: 780 USDGreene County780Cole County: 776 USDCole County776Callaway County: 773 USDCallaway County773Jasper County: 753 USDJasper County753Sullivan County: 745 USDSullivan County745Cape Girardeau County: 742 USDCape Girardeau County742Iron County: 739 USDIron County739Franklin County: 726 USDFranklin County726Phelps County: 721 USDPhelps County721Lincoln County: 714 USDLincoln County714Barry County: 712 USDBarry County712Crawford County: 704 USDCrawford County704Pulaski County: 696 USDPulaski County696DeKalb County: 690 USDDeKalb County690Warren County: 690 USDWarren County690Jefferson County: 681 USDJefferson County681Henry County: 680 USDHenry County680Perry County: 680 USDPerry County680Scott County: 671 USDScott County671Marion County: 670 USDMarion County670Vernon County: 668 USDVernon County668Johnson County: 662 USDJohnson County662Randolph County: 662 USDRandolph County662New Madrid County: 660 USDNew Madrid County660Lawrence County: 657 USDLawrence County657Audrain County: 653 USDAudrain County653Mercer County: 653 USDMercer County653Newton County: 652 USDNewton County652Osage County: 650 USDOsage County650Cass County: 645 USDCass County645
USD. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD
Change on 2015
1St. Louis city1,100+0.5%
2St. Louis County1,076+0.8%
3Jackson County1,027+1.2%
4Clay County899-0.9%
5Platte County857-0.1%
6St. Charles County836+1.8%
7Ralls County822+4.8%
8Boone County809+3.1%
9Buchanan County801+1%
10Ste. Genevieve County7860%
11Greene County780+2%
12Cole County776+1.3%
13Callaway County773+2.8%
14Jasper County753+0.9%
15Sullivan County745+7.3%
16Cape Girardeau County742+2.3%
17Iron County739-3.9%
18Franklin County726+0.3%
19Phelps County721+3%
20Lincoln County714+3%
21Barry County712+4.1%
22Crawford County704+5.1%
23Pulaski County696+1.9%
24DeKalb County690+9%
24Warren County690+4.5%
26Jefferson County681+1.6%
27Henry County680-4%
27Perry County680+2.9%
29Scott County671+2%
30Marion County670+3.9%
31Vernon County668+1.5%
32Johnson County662+2.3%
32Randolph County662-0.3%
34New Madrid County660-10%
35Lawrence County657+3%
36Audrain County653+1.7%
36Mercer County653+6.7%
38Newton County652+2.8%
39Osage County650+5.3%
40Cass County645+3.5%
41Pettis County642+3%
41Stoddard County642+3.4%
43McDonald County640+7.2%
44Ray County637-0.5%
45Holt County636+5.5%
46Polk County635+0.2%
47Linn County633+1.3%
47Nodaway County633+1.1%
49Grundy County631+1.9%
50Butler County629+1.3%
51Clinton County626+2.5%
51Saline County626+0.5%
53Laclede County621+1.5%
53Livingston County621+1.3%
55Macon County620+3.5%
56Pike County617+1.6%
57Gentry County612+2%
57Howell County612-1.4%
59Montgomery County611+1.7%
60Lafayette County606+2%
61Adair County604+0.5%
61Andrew County604+4.9%
63Carroll County598+1.4%
64Moniteau County597+2.4%
65Webster County596+0.2%
66Christian County590+1.9%
66Cooper County590-1.7%
68Miller County588-0.2%
69Bates County583+2.6%
69Pemiscot County583-1.5%
71St. Francois County582+0.9%
72Atchison County579+4.3%
72Caldwell County579-0.7%
72Chariton County579+2.1%
72Lewis County579+0.5%
72Stone County579+4.7%
77Camden County576+1.2%
78Mississippi County575+0.3%
79Monroe County571-1.6%
80Barton County569+6.6%
81Howard County566+2.9%
82Taney County564+0.5%
83Dent County559+2.8%
84Gasconade County556-0.5%
84Scotland County556+3.9%
86Texas County555+0.4%
87Maries County553+2.6%
88Wright County551+1.5%
89Dade County549+0.5%
90Benton County541+0.6%
91Madison County537+1.7%
92Washington County535+0.6%
93Harrison County534+1.5%
94Putnam County531-1.5%
95Daviess County525+3.3%
96Bollinger County521+2.6%
96Morgan County521+2.8%
98Shelby County515+1.8%
99Douglas County510+4.3%
100Cedar County508+1%
101Clark County501+2.2%
102Dunklin County500+1.8%
103St. Clair County499+1%
104Dallas County495+2.3%
105Carter County492-0.2%
106Knox County491+0.4%
107Worth County490+1.4%
108Schuyler County486-2%
109Wayne County476+5.3%
110Hickory County474+1.9%
110Reynolds County474-0.4%
112Oregon County467+3.3%
113Ozark County452+2.3%
114Ripley County449-0.7%
114Shannon County449+2.7%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages paid during the year divided by the average number of covered jobs and by 52, in US dollars, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

In current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. An average per job, so part-time jobs pull it down and high earners pull it up; for the typical job use median_annual_wage. Wages include bonuses, stock options exercised, severance pay and tips, which makes counties with corporate headquarters stand out. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_missouri_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

St. Louis city, with $1,100 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Shannon County, with $449 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average weekly wage (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings