Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
Kansas City, MO Average Salary 2026
Cost of living, occupation-by-occupation pay, and percentile ranges from official BLS data.
The average salary in Kansas City, MO, Missouri is $104,337 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data (2025 reference period) covering 64 occupations and roughly 226,260 workers. Adjusted for Kansas City, MO's cost-of-living index of 95.4, that nominal average translates to $109,368 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro. The highest-paying tracked occupation is Pediatrician at $271,410; the lowest is Automotive Technician at $53,790.
Kansas City, MO, MO sits near the national cost-of-living baseline (index 95.4). 64 occupations are reported here with median wages averaging $104,337.
Highest-paying role in Kansas City, MO on BLS data is Pediatrician at $271,410 median. Top-paying roles in any U.S. city skew toward physicians, executives, tech specialists, and licensed professionals; the specific ranking varies with the local industry mix. Cities at the national cost-of-living baseline are useful reference points for cross-region comparisons — the gross wage and adjusted wage are roughly equivalent, so headline comparisons work.
Salaries by Occupation in Kansas City, MO
| Role | Category | Median | Range (10th–90th) | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatrician | Healthcare | $271,410 | $134,310 – $302,830 | 70 |
| Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $213,950 | $74,550 – $425,160 | 590 |
| Dentist | Healthcare | $171,690 | $95,610 – $340,330 | 1,070 |
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $168,050 | $105,680 – $234,030 | 4,710 |
| Financial Manager | Finance | $162,490 | $101,060 – $296,870 | 4,970 |
| Sales Manager | Management | $159,990 | $83,790 – $249,990 | 0 |
| Human Resources Manager | Management | $140,890 | $91,780 – $220,570 | 1,380 |
| Pharmacist | Healthcare | $139,460 | $85,500 – $172,430 | 2,640 |
| Marketing Manager | Management | $139,240 | $81,710 – $227,820 | 2,260 |
| Optometrist | Healthcare | $138,580 | $93,640 – $176,030 | 450 |
| Lawyer | Legal | $134,640 | $78,310 – $287,200 | 5,310 |
| Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $133,350 | $101,600 – $165,740 | 540 |
| Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $130,760 | $97,030 – $159,810 | 2,730 |
| Software Developer | Technology | $124,990 | $76,340 – $169,440 | 12,160 |
| Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $124,990 | $74,570 – $206,050 | 3,950 |
| Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $123,140 | $60,890 – $320,820 | 3,500 |
| Veterinarian | Healthcare | $122,490 | $76,910 – $199,910 | 750 |
| Statistician | Technology | $111,780 | $75,030 – $151,860 | 100 |
| Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $110,740 | $78,080 – $166,710 | 1,760 |
| Computer Network Architect | Technology | $107,450 | $68,830 – $169,660 | 1,620 |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $105,470 | $59,630 – $162,510 | 3,900 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $104,670 | $78,410 – $172,210 | 120 |
| Information Security Analyst | Technology | $104,010 | $65,110 – $158,410 | 1,810 |
| Database Architect | Technology | $103,640 | $62,200 – $155,980 | 440 |
| Computer Programmer | Technology | $101,830 | $63,110 – $133,590 | 500 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $101,340 | $64,520 – $165,390 | 4,180 |
| Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $101,270 | $75,170 – $125,790 | 2,010 |
| Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $100,480 | $74,200 – $155,900 | 2,080 |
| Architect | Engineering | $99,920 | $61,340 – $167,560 | 1,250 |
| Data Scientist | Technology | $99,870 | $61,820 – $149,060 | 1,260 |
| Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $99,840 | $70,890 – $122,960 | 1,360 |
| Audiologist | Healthcare | $99,650 | $62,230 – $118,900 | 120 |
| Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $99,630 | $78,070 – $136,650 | 4,330 |
| Civil Engineer | Engineering | $98,860 | $68,040 – $155,110 | 3,230 |
| Management Analyst | Management | $98,430 | $61,370 – $139,320 | 4,500 |
| Financial Analyst | Finance | $97,680 | $62,500 – $141,130 | 2,050 |
| Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $94,970 | $52,650 – $134,290 | 1,430 |
| Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $93,330 | $60,890 – $159,980 | 580 |
| Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $92,750 | $75,550 – $97,260 | 1,800 |
| Network Architect | Technology | $91,980 | $62,640 – $133,970 | 2,760 |
| General and Operations Manager | Management | $90,490 | $47,080 – $219,230 | 31,080 |
| Web Designer | Technology | $89,420 | $58,810 – $156,830 | 520 |
| Financial Examiner | Finance | $89,300 | $61,360 – $170,250 | 870 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $86,120 | $59,390 – $118,340 | 1,270 |
| Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $85,380 | $57,270 – $139,240 | 0 |
| Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $83,040 | $66,970 – $103,540 | 29,650 |
| Loan Officer | Finance | $82,330 | $46,350 – $150,700 | 2,180 |
| Accountant | Finance | $80,040 | $54,680 – $130,320 | 11,260 |
| Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $79,790 | $38,530 – $201,600 | 280 |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $77,040 | $48,290 – $129,510 | 850 |
| Electrician | Trades | $76,860 | $46,280 – $110,170 | 5,400 |
| Plumber | Trades | $76,150 | $46,800 – $122,820 | 3,740 |
| Web Developer | Technology | $75,690 | $48,820 – $136,480 | 310 |
| Market Research Analyst | Management | $72,580 | $43,130 – $131,080 | 6,920 |
| Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $68,050 | $43,750 – $112,810 | 1,950 |
| Writer/Author | Creative | $67,230 | $44,990 – $102,070 | 220 |
| Paralegal | Legal | $63,880 | $47,230 – $97,890 | 2,900 |
| Carpenter | Trades | $61,810 | $44,950 – $96,410 | 4,540 |
| Secondary School Teacher | Education | $61,200 | $48,820 – $78,940 | 7,750 |
| Elementary School Teacher | Education | $61,060 | $48,120 – $78,940 | 11,500 |
| Graphic Designer | Creative | $59,990 | $41,100 – $97,290 | 1,720 |
| Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $59,230 | $38,760 – $95,840 | 2,990 |
| Welder | Trades | $57,370 | $42,850 – $78,150 | 2,710 |
| Automotive Technician | Trades | $53,790 | $36,030 – $80,850 | 5,380 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The single highest-paying occupation tracked in Kansas City, MO is Pediatrician, with a median of $271,410 and a 90th-percentile reading of $302,830. That $168,520 spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles is typical for a role of this seniority — entry-level workers cluster near the bottom of the band, while senior specialists and managers earn at the top.
Across all 64 BLS-tracked occupations in Kansas City, MO, the average median salary is $104,337. The top five roles average $197,518 — about 1.9× the citywide average — which is the expected shape for a U.S. metro economy: a small concentration of high-skill, high-credential occupations sits well above the broader middle.
Kansas City, MO sits close to the U.S. average on cost of living (index 95.4). Headline salary numbers translate roughly one-for-one into purchasing power — useful as a national benchmark city when comparing offers across markets.
Salary Negotiation in Kansas City, MO
For salary negotiation in Kansas City, MO, the practical input is the percentile band for your role and city, not the citywide average. The OEWS publishes 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile wages for every metro and occupation; you can find your role's exact percentile in the table above and use the SalaryTruth percentile calculator to anchor your offer. Cost-of-living index 95.4 should also factor in any cross-metro comparison.
For city-vs-city moves, the right benchmark is COL-adjusted pay rather than nominal pay. Our COL-adjusted salaries guide shows the exact math; the negotiation playbook covers how to use BLS percentile bands to anchor offers.
How Kansas City, MO Salary Data Is Built
Wages on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — a federal survey of more than 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. We pull the BLS data file for Kansas City, MO, match each occupation against our role catalog, and surface percentile wages alongside employment counts. The cost-of-living index (95.4) is a composite of housing, food, transportation, and utility data from public sources, calibrated to a U.S. national average of 100. Read the full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Kansas City, MO in 2026?
The average salary in Kansas City, MO is $104,337 as of 2026, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' OEWS 2025 release covering 64 occupations. The mean (employment-weighted average) gives slightly more weight to large occupations; the median across roles is also close to $104,337. The top-paying role is Pediatrician at $271,410.
Is $100,000 a good salary in Kansas City, MO?
In Kansas City, MO, $100,000 has the purchasing power of $104,822 in an average-cost U.S. metro (COL index 95.4). That is above $100K of buying power — a $100K salary stretches further in Kansas City, MO than in most U.S. metros. Compared to the city's average median of $104,337, $100K is below the typical worker.
What are the highest-paying jobs in Kansas City, MO?
The top-paying tracked occupations in Kansas City, MO are Pediatrician ($271,410), Family Medicine Physician ($213,950), Dentist ($171,690), and Computer and Information Systems Manager ($168,050). Across the top 10, median salaries range from $138,580 to $271,410. See the full ranking at /ranking/highest-paying-jobs/kansas-city.
How does Kansas City, MO's cost of living affect salaries?
Kansas City, MO has a cost-of-living index of 95.4, 5% below the U.S. national average. A nominal salary of $104,337 in this metro has the equivalent purchasing power of $109,368 in an average-cost U.S. city. Housing is the dominant driver of this gap; in higher-COL markets, mortgage or rent typically eats 5–15 percentage points more of pre-tax pay than in average-cost metros.
How many people are employed in Kansas City, MO?
Across the 64 BLS-tracked occupations on this page, total employment in the Kansas City, MO metro is approximately 226,260. BLS OEWS sample-based estimates cover all major occupational categories but exclude very small or volatile fields where the sample is too thin to publish.
Where does this Kansas City, MO salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data is used by the U.S. Department of Labor for prevailing wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Kansas City, MO MSA, 2026 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2026."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 64 occupations · COL Index 95.4.