Missouri by the numbers
In Missouri, the median worker earns $46,390 a year, the typical home is worth $215,600 and carries $1,887 of property tax, and the average household pays $145 a month for electricity at 13.68¢ per kilowatt-hour.
Midwest MISO / SPP Regulated monopoly
Energy
Missouri's rate advantage comes from an old, largely depreciated generation fleet: large coal units built decades ago whose capital cost has been substantially recovered, plus the Callaway nuclear station. When a plant is paid off, ratepayers pay only fuel, operations and maintenance, which is why Missouri consistently ranks near the bottom of the national price table.
That advantage is finite. The coal fleet is ageing and utilities have filed plans to retire units and replace them with gas, wind, solar and storage. Replacement capacity has to be built and rate-based, which will raise rates from a low starting point.
Missouri also has relatively low delivery costs, with compact metros in St. Louis and Kansas City and moderate storm exposure compared with the Gulf or the Northeast.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Missouri households used 1,046 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $145. At the state median wage that is about 6.5 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $4.71 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Missouri worker earned $46,390 in 2024, 6.3% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | 4.16× | $29,450 |
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | 4.05× | $44,890 |
| Museum Technicians and Conservators | 4.03× | $46,680 |
| Foundry Mold and Coremakers | 2.55× | $59,300 |
| Set and Exhibit Designers | 2.5× | $56,100 |
Property tax
The median Missouri homeowner pays $1,887 a year on a home worth $215,600, an effective rate of 0.88% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 108 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Missouri run at 90.8 where the national average is 100, ranking it #39 of 51. Goods sit at 96.3, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 69.9, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $46,390 therefore buys what $51,090 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: St. Louis (95.1) , Kansas City (92.5) , Columbia (89.4) , Springfield (88.6) , Jefferson City (88.0) .
Housing
House prices in Missouri rose 3.7% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +101.7%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: St. Louis (+4.1%) , Kansas City (+2.8%) .
Who supplies the power
44 utilities report residential service in Missouri, together serving 2.7 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Missouri: common questions
What does it cost to live in Missouri?
Prices overall run at 90.8 against a national average of 100, with rents at 69.9. The typical home is worth $215,600 and carries $1,887 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.88% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $145 a month at 13.68¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $46,390.
What is the property tax rate in Missouri?
The effective rate is 0.88% of home value, from a median bill of $1,887. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 108 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Missouri?
The median wage of $46,390 buys what $51,090 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Missouri falls on.
Is Missouri expensive for electricity?
It ranks #45 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 13.68¢ per kilowatt-hour, -25.8% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 30 of 51, because households there use 1,046 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Missouri?
$46,390 across all occupations, about $22.30 an hour, covering 2,918,050 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Missouri?
44 utilities report residential service, the largest being Union Electric Co with 1.1 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources