StateRates

St. Joseph salaries

The median worker in the St. Joseph, MO-KS metro area earned $46,420 a year in 2024, about $22.32 an hour. That ranks #208 of the 391 metro areas published here, 6.2% below the national median.

Missouri Kansas

Median pay $46,420 $22.32 per hour
Vs national -6.2% U.S. $49,500
Workers 53,880 wage and salary
Metro rank #208 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

St. Joseph pays 0.1% more than Missouri as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 5.98× 800 $49,370
Cooks, Fast Food 4.42× 1,030 $28,780
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 3.79× 560 $63,990
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 2.25× 540 $78,590
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 2.12× 1,080 $52,690
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 1.89× 920 $47,500
Nursing Assistants 1.51× 730 $36,390
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1.46× 780 $56,100
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1.32× 1,830 $29,640
Cashiers 1.3× 1,430 $28,360
Stockers and Order Fillers 1.24× 1,210 $36,090
General and Operations Managers 1.23× 1,540 $72,080

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in St. Joseph
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
Industrial Engineers $86,540 $41.61 260
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $84,510 $40.63 210
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $83,290 $40.04 240
Project Management Specialists $83,200 $40.00 220
Electricians $81,530 $39.20 410
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $78,590 $37.79 540
Registered Nurses $74,750 $35.94 1,280
General and Operations Managers $72,080 $34.65 1,540
Accountants and Auditors $65,730 $31.60 360
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers $63,990 $30.76 560
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $61,810 $29.72 380
Human Resources Specialists $60,970 $29.31 280
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $60,880 $29.27 380
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $58,040 $27.90 220
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $56,270 $27.05 260
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $56,250 $27.04 230
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $56,100 $26.97 780
Carpenters $56,050 $26.95 240
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $54,840 $26.37 250
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $52,690 $25.33 1,080
Training and Development Specialists $52,110 $25.05 210
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $52,030 $25.01 770
Construction Laborers $50,820 $24.43 330
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders $49,370 $23.73 800
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $48,450 $23.29 440
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment $48,270 $23.21 350
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $47,500 n/a 920
Packers and Packagers, Hand $47,340 $22.76 260
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $46,710 $22.46 320
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $45,980 $22.11 310
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $45,480 $21.86 290
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $45,320 $21.79 370
Light Truck Drivers $43,540 $20.93 350
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $43,490 $20.91 1,130
Correctional Officers and Jailers $41,310 $19.86 270
Pharmacy Technicians $39,910 $19.19 230
Customer Service Representatives $39,220 $18.86 830
Office Clerks, General $38,930 $18.72 820
Medical Assistants $38,860 $18.68 250
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $38,670 $18.59 670
Bus Drivers, School $37,890 $18.22 230
Driver/Sales Workers $37,270 $17.92 210
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $36,700 $17.64 230
Nursing Assistants $36,390 $17.49 730
Security Guards $36,120 $17.36 250
Stockers and Order Fillers $36,090 $17.35 1,210
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $35,240 $16.94 410
Receptionists and Information Clerks $35,050 $16.85 300
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $34,900 $16.78 690
Cooks, Restaurant $32,670 $15.71 430
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks $32,650 $15.70 340
Retail Salespersons $31,120 $14.96 1,280
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $29,640 $14.25 1,830
Cooks, Fast Food $28,780 $13.84 1,030
Food Preparation Workers $28,580 $13.74 260
Cashiers $28,360 $13.63 1,430
Fast Food and Counter Workers $27,940 $13.43 700
Childcare Workers $27,260 $13.11 300
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $26,920 n/a 460
Bartenders $26,580 $12.78 210

Where most people work

Largest occupations in St. Joseph by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1,830 $29,640 $14.25
General and Operations Managers 1,540 $72,080 $34.65
Cashiers 1,430 $28,360 $13.63
Registered Nurses 1,280 $74,750 $35.94
Retail Salespersons 1,280 $31,120 $14.96
Stockers and Order Fillers 1,210 $36,090 $17.35
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,130 $43,490 $20.91
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 1,080 $52,690 $25.33
Cooks, Fast Food 1,030 $28,780 $13.84
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 920 $47,500 n/a
Customer Service Representatives 830 $39,220 $18.86
Office Clerks, General 820 $38,930 $18.72
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 800 $49,370 $23.73
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 780 $56,100 $26.97
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 770 $52,030 $25.01
Nursing Assistants 730 $36,390 $17.49
Fast Food and Counter Workers 700 $27,940 $13.43
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 690 $34,900 $16.78
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 670 $38,670 $18.59
Waiters and Waitresses 650 $26,190 $12.59

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other Missouri metro areas

St. Joseph pay: common questions

What is the average salary in St. Joseph?

The median across all occupations is $46,420, or $22.32 an hour, covering 53,880 wage and salary workers. The mean is $54,660, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does St. Joseph pay more than the rest of Missouri?

Yes. The metro median of $46,420 is 0.1% above the Missouri median of $46,390. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in St. Joseph?

Industrial Engineers ($86,540), First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($84,510), First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers ($83,290). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is St. Joseph unusually full of?

Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders, at 5.98× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.