(The Center Square) – The city of St. Louis had the highest average annual wage across all private industries in 2022 and Ripley County had the lowest, according to an analysis of data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.
The average annual wage in all industries in privately owned companies was $73,685 for those working in St. Louis, or $35.43 per hour, according to the data. The annual wage was $72,776 or $34.99 an hour for all industries in the private and public sector in St. Louis.
The average annual wage in all industries in privately owned companies for citizens of Ripley County was $25,812 or $12.41 per hour. The average annual wage in all industries in the private and public sectors in Ripley County was $28,366 or $13.64 per hour.
The average annual wage in Missouri was $60,159, or $28.92 an hour, in all industries in privately owned companies; it was $59,225, or $28.47 per hour, in all industries in the private and public sectors.
Ripley County is in southeast Missouri along the Arkansas border and its population is 10,703, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The median household income between 2017 and 2021, in 2021 dollars, was $36,089 and the per capita income was $19,083.
St. Louis County ranked second in the data with an average wage of $72,213 in the private sector, or $34.72 an hour, and $72,776 in both public and private sectors, or $34.99 an hour.
The average wage figures for Missouri’s 114 counties are derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, a cooperative program between the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.
The average hourly wage was calculated by dividing the total wages by the average employment hours of 2,080, or 40 hours per week for 52 weeks.
The counties with the highest annual wages in 2022:
| County | Avg. Annual Wage All Industries, Private Ownership | Avg. Hourly Wage All Industries, Private Ownership | Avg. Annual Wage for All Industries, Private and Public | Avg. Hourly Wage for All Industries, Private and Public |
| St. Louis City | $73,685 | $35.43 | $72,776 | $34.99 |
| St. Louis | $72,213 | $34.72 | $71,214 | $34.24 |
| Jackson | $67,035 | $32.23 | $66,654 | $32.05 |
| Clay | $59,547 | $28.63 | $59,330 | $28.52 |
| Platte | $59,297 | $28.51 | $58,935 | $28.33 |
The counties with the lowest annual wages in 2022:
| County | Avg. Annual Wage All Industries, Private Ownership | Avg. Hourly Wage All Industries, Private Ownership | Avg. Annual Wage for All Industries, Private and Public | Avg. Hourly Wage for All Industries, Private and Public |
| Ripley | $25,812 | $12.41 | $28,366 | $13.64 |
| Worth | $27,290 | $13.12 | $28,197 | $13.56 |
| Dallas | $28,667 | $13.78 | $31,887 | $15.33 |
| Carter | $28,680 | $13.79 | $31,611 | $15.20 |
| Ozark | $29,487 | $14.18 | $30,530 | $14.68 |
The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center also reported 71,580 new job postings in May in Missouri, a 4% decrease from April’s total of 74,450. Last May, the center reported 81,720 job postings for the month. There were 100,120 online job postings in August of 2022, the peak of the center’s analysis of the last 17 months.
The largest number of online postings was for registered nurses at 5,070, followed by retail salespersons (2,480), first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (1,670) and heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (1,550).
