Counties in Missouri by average weekly wage (QCEW)

St. Louis city had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 115 counties in 2019, at $1,207. Ripley County had the lowest, at $486. The median was $667 and the figure for Missouri was $972. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,207St. Louis city
Lowest486Ripley County
Median667115 counties
Missouri972History

Map of counties, 2019

Adair County: 661 USDAndrew County: 643 USDAtchison County: 650 USDAudrain County: 717 USDBarry County: 766 USDBarton County: 642 USDBates County: 644 USDBenton County: 589 USDBollinger County: 577 USDBoone County: 901 USDBuchanan County: 887 USDButler County: 677 USDCaldwell County: 641 USDCallaway County: 865 USDCamden County: 669 USDCape Girardeau County: 798 USDCarroll County: 729 USDCarter County: 523 USDCass County: 717 USDCedar County: 557 USDChariton County: 624 USDChristian County: 650 USDClark County: 531 USDClay County: 966 USDClinton County: 714 USDCole County: 829 USDCooper County: 646 USDCrawford County: 710 USDDade County: 590 USDDallas County: 536 USDDaviess County: 544 USDDeKalb County: 688 USDDent County: 613 USDDouglas County: 551 USDDunklin County: 546 USDFranklin County: 819 USDGasconade County: 603 USDGentry County: 688 USDGreene County: 860 USDGrundy County: 619 USDHarrison County: 600 USDHenry County: 726 USDHickory County: 518 USDHolt County: 707 USDHoward County: 603 USDHowell County: 660 USDIron County: 755 USDJackson County: 1,116 USDJasper County: 775 USDJefferson County: 752 USDJohnson County: 718 USDKnox County: 579 USDLaclede County: 675 USDLafayette County: 645 USDLawrence County: 712 USDLewis County: 653 USDLincoln County: 793 USDLinn County: 664 USDLivingston County: 667 USDMcDonald County: 704 USDMacon County: 648 USDMadison County: 599 USDMaries County: 612 USDMarion County: 740 USDMercer County: 724 USDMiller County: 621 USDMississippi County: 611 USDMoniteau County: 700 USDMonroe County: 600 USDMontgomery County: 681 USDMorgan County: 567 USDNew Madrid County: 718 USDNewton County: 794 USDNodaway County: 685 USDOregon County: 503 USDOsage County: 699 USDOzark County: 508 USDPemiscot County: 599 USDPerry County: 740 USDPettis County: 709 USDPhelps County: 776 USDPike County: 658 USDPlatte County: 944 USDPolk County: 696 USDPulaski County: 755 USDPutnam County: 576 USDRalls County: 870 USDRandolph County: 728 USDRay County: 699 USDReynolds County: 676 USDRipley County: 486 USDSt. Charles County: 917 USDSt. Clair County: 552 USDSte. Genevieve County: 862 USDSt. Francois County: 631 USDSt. Louis County: 1,183 USDSaline County: 689 USDSchuyler County: 524 USDScotland County: 622 USDScott County: 737 USDShannon County: 514 USDShelby County: 599 USDStoddard County: 713 USDStone County: 593 USDSullivan County: 819 USDTaney County: 617 USDTexas County: 613 USDVernon County: 715 USDWarren County: 760 USDWashington County: 594 USDWayne County: 505 USDWebster County: 657 USDWorth County: 492 USDWright County: 597 USDSt. Louis city: 1,207 USD
  • Under 580
  • 580 to 620
  • 620 to 670
  • 670 to 710
  • 710 to 780
  • 780 and over
USD, 2019. 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, 2019

St. Louis city: 1,207 USDSt. Louis city1,207St. Louis County: 1,183 USDSt. Louis County1,183Jackson County: 1,116 USDJackson County1,116Clay County: 966 USDClay County966Platte County: 944 USDPlatte County944St. Charles County: 917 USDSt. Charles County917Boone County: 901 USDBoone County901Buchanan County: 887 USDBuchanan County887Ralls County: 870 USDRalls County870Callaway County: 865 USDCallaway County865Ste. Genevieve County: 862 USDSte. Genevieve County862Greene County: 860 USDGreene County860Cole County: 829 USDCole County829Franklin County: 819 USDFranklin County819Sullivan County: 819 USDSullivan County819Cape Girardeau County: 798 USDCape Girardeau County798Newton County: 794 USDNewton County794Lincoln County: 793 USDLincoln County793Phelps County: 776 USDPhelps County776Jasper County: 775 USDJasper County775Barry County: 766 USDBarry County766Warren County: 760 USDWarren County760Iron County: 755 USDIron County755Pulaski County: 755 USDPulaski County755Jefferson County: 752 USDJefferson County752Marion County: 740 USDMarion County740Perry County: 740 USDPerry County740Scott County: 737 USDScott County737Carroll County: 729 USDCarroll County729Randolph County: 728 USDRandolph County728Henry County: 726 USDHenry County726Mercer County: 724 USDMercer County724Johnson County: 718 USDJohnson County718New Madrid County: 718 USDNew Madrid County718Audrain County: 717 USDAudrain County717Cass County: 717 USDCass County717Vernon County: 715 USDVernon County715Clinton County: 714 USDClinton County714Stoddard County: 713 USDStoddard County713Lawrence County: 712 USDLawrence County712St. Louis city: 1,207 USDSt. Louis city1,207St. Louis County: 1,183 USDSt. Louis County1,183Jackson County: 1,116 USDJackson County1,116Clay County: 966 USDClay County966Platte County: 944 USDPlatte County944St. Charles County: 917 USDSt. Charles County917Boone County: 901 USDBoone County901Buchanan County: 887 USDBuchanan County887Ralls County: 870 USDRalls County870Callaway County: 865 USDCallaway County865Ste. Genevieve County: 862 USDSte. Genevieve County862Greene County: 860 USDGreene County860Cole County: 829 USDCole County829Franklin County: 819 USDFranklin County819Sullivan County: 819 USDSullivan County819Cape Girardeau County: 798 USDCape Girardeau County798Newton County: 794 USDNewton County794Lincoln County: 793 USDLincoln County793Phelps County: 776 USDPhelps County776Jasper County: 775 USDJasper County775Barry County: 766 USDBarry County766Warren County: 760 USDWarren County760Iron County: 755 USDIron County755Pulaski County: 755 USDPulaski County755Jefferson County: 752 USDJefferson County752Marion County: 740 USDMarion County740Perry County: 740 USDPerry County740Scott County: 737 USDScott County737Carroll County: 729 USDCarroll County729Randolph County: 728 USDRandolph County728Henry County: 726 USDHenry County726Mercer County: 724 USDMercer County724Johnson County: 718 USDJohnson County718New Madrid County: 718 USDNew Madrid County718Audrain County: 717 USDAudrain County717Cass County: 717 USDCass County717Vernon County: 715 USDVernon County715Clinton County: 714 USDClinton County714Stoddard County: 713 USDStoddard County713Lawrence County: 712 USDLawrence County712
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

RankCounties2019
USD
Change on 2018
1St. Louis city1,207+3.6%
2St. Louis County1,183+1.6%
3Jackson County1,116+2.7%
4Clay County966+3.5%
5Platte County944+4%
6St. Charles County917+4.3%
7Boone County901+6.3%
8Buchanan County887+3.6%
9Ralls County870+0.6%
10Callaway County865+5.6%
11Ste. Genevieve County862+3%
12Greene County860+3.5%
13Cole County829+2.5%
14Franklin County819+5.7%
14Sullivan County819+5.5%
16Cape Girardeau County798+2.7%
17Newton County794+3.1%
18Lincoln County793+4.1%
19Phelps County776+2.4%
20Jasper County775+2.2%
21Barry County766+2.1%
22Warren County760+2.7%
23Iron County755-0.3%
23Pulaski County755+4.3%
25Jefferson County752+3.4%
26Marion County740+2.4%
26Perry County740+1.4%
28Scott County737+3.4%
29Carroll County729+13.7%
30Randolph County728+2.5%
31Henry County726+2.8%
32Mercer County724+7.6%
33Johnson County718+2.3%
33New Madrid County718+6.1%
35Audrain County717+2.7%
35Cass County717+3.2%
37Vernon County715+0.8%
38Clinton County714+7.2%
39Stoddard County713+1.6%
40Lawrence County712-0.1%
41Crawford County710+1.4%
42Pettis County709+5%
43Holt County707+2.5%
44McDonald County704+2.9%
45Moniteau County700+4.6%
46Osage County699+1.2%
46Ray County699+1.9%
48Polk County696+4%
49Saline County689+0.7%
50DeKalb County688+3%
50Gentry County688+6.5%
52Nodaway County685-0.1%
53Montgomery County681+2.1%
54Butler County677+3.2%
55Reynolds County676+2.6%
56Laclede County675+1.7%
57Camden County669+4.4%
58Livingston County667+2.1%
59Linn County664+0.6%
60Adair County661+3.1%
61Howell County660+3%
62Pike County658+3.5%
63Webster County657+2.2%
64Lewis County653+5.2%
65Atchison County650+6%
65Christian County650+2.7%
67Macon County648+3.2%
68Cooper County646+1.6%
69Lafayette County645+3.4%
70Bates County644+0.8%
71Andrew County643+2.4%
72Barton County642+5.4%
73Caldwell County641+4.1%
74St. Francois County631+1.6%
75Chariton County624+3.8%
76Scotland County622+2.5%
77Miller County621+0.8%
78Grundy County619-6.4%
79Taney County617+2.2%
80Dent County613+4.8%
80Texas County613+4.1%
82Maries County612+3.6%
83Mississippi County611+0.8%
84Gasconade County603+2.6%
84Howard County603+0.3%
86Harrison County600+2.4%
86Monroe County600-2.1%
88Madison County599+2.7%
88Pemiscot County599+5.8%
88Shelby County599+8.1%
91Wright County597+3.3%
92Washington County594+2.9%
93Stone County593+3.1%
94Dade County590+4.1%
95Benton County589+1%
96Knox County579+8.6%
97Bollinger County577+0.9%
98Putnam County576+5.9%
99Morgan County567+2.3%
100Cedar County557+2.2%
101St. Clair County552+4.5%
102Douglas County551+3.4%
103Dunklin County546+2.1%
104Daviess County544-0.7%
105Dallas County536+4.5%
106Clark County531+4.3%
107Schuyler County524+4.8%
108Carter County523+1.2%
109Hickory County518+3.8%
110Shannon County514+4.3%
111Ozark County508+4.3%
112Wayne County505+3.1%
113Oregon County503+3.9%
114Worth County492-4.3%
115Ripley County486-1%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_missouri_by_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/missouri-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 $1,207 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

Ripley County, with $486 in 2019.

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