Lawyers pay in Missouri
$162,820avg. a year
$78.28 an hour · 11,560 employed
Lawyers in Missouri earn an average of $162,820 a year. That is $23,020 (12%) less than the U.S. average of $185,840. The best-paying metro area is St. Louis, MO-IL at $167,880.
$133,450Median pay
$78.28Average hourly
+47%Avg. pay since 2020
#24Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Missouri metro areas
Average pay for lawyers by metro area. Swipe to see all 8.
16,100 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$167,880
$80.71 an hour
25,310 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$166,230
$79.92 an hour
3710 jobs
Springfield, MO
$155,930
$74.97 an hour
4400 jobs
Columbia, MO
$132,290
$63.60 an hour
5100 jobs
St. Joseph, MO-KS
$124,350
$59.78 an hour
6120 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$120,010
$57.70 an hour
7490 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$119,550
$57.48 an hour
8180 jobs
Joplin, MO-KS
$117,970
$56.72 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Lawyers pay in Missouri, charted
Pay over time
Missouri, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Missouri lawyers work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · Missouri highlighted · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $132k$132k–$160k$160k–$180k$180k+Missouri
Missouri vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $185,840 | $89.35 |
| Missouri | $162,820 | $78.28 |
| Illinois | $181,240 | $87.14 |
| Tennessee | $163,870 | $78.79 |
| Iowa | $144,760 | $69.59 |
| Nebraska | $133,490 | $64.18 |
| Arkansas | $131,680 | $63.31 |
Related jobs in Missouri
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants$64,380
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$138,730
- Judicial Law Clerks$66,400
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$52,060
- Legal Support Workers, All Other$77,060
Average pay, Missouri, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do lawyers make in Missouri?
The average is $162,820 a year, and the median is $133,450. That is $23,020 (12%) less than the U.S. average of $185,840.
What is the hourly wage in Missouri?
$78.28 an hour on average; the median is $64.16.
Where in Missouri do they earn the most?
St. Louis, MO-IL ($167,880), followed by Kansas City, MO-KS ($166,230). The lowest average among 8 metro areas with data is Joplin, MO-KS ($117,970).
How does Missouri rank?
Missouri ranks #24 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 23-1011. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national lawyers page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.