The top 25 occupations in Missouri ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Missouri cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Missouri-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $453,200 | $589,200 | $747,800 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $372,900 | $484,700 | $615,200 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $341,300 | $443,700 | $563,200 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $240,400 | $312,500 | $396,700 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $205,000 | $266,500 | $338,200 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $185,900 | $241,700 | $306,800 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $176,600 | $229,600 | $291,400 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $175,800 | $228,500 | $290,100 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $160,800 | $209,100 | $265,400 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $157,100 | $204,200 | $259,200 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $151,500 | $196,900 | $249,900 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $147,700 | $192,100 | $243,800 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $144,900 | $188,400 | $239,100 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $144,900 | $188,400 | $239,100 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $143,500 | $186,600 | $236,800 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $142,100 | $184,800 | $234,500 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $141,100 | $183,400 | $232,800 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $139,700 | $181,700 | $230,600 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $139,700 | $181,700 | $230,600 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $138,400 | $179,900 | $228,300 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $136,900 | $178,000 | $225,900 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $135,400 | $176,000 | $223,400 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $134,100 | $174,300 | $221,200 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $132,800 | $172,600 | $219,100 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $132,800 | $172,600 | $219,100 |
In Missouri, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $453,200 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $747,800.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Missouri's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in Missouri typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.