How much does an Accountant make in Missouri?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $73,210 for Accountants in Missouri as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $56,640 and the 75th-percentile is $97,260.

Why is the BEA RPP for Missouri different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Missouri's overall index of 91.1 reflects rents 70.5, services 85.6, and goods 97.3.

Where does Missouri rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Missouri ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Missouri?

P10 to P90 spans $45,760 to $128,240. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Missouri?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Missouri.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Public accounting vs industry vs government in Missouri — which pays more?

Public accounting (Big 4 / regional firm audit + tax) typically pays 10-15% below industry corporate-accountant pay at the staff/senior level, then crosses over at manager and above as billable-hour leverage compounds. Government accountants in {state} (state DOR, federal IRS/GAO, municipal) usually trail both private paths on base pay but lead on pension and job security. Industry controller/CFO-track roles in {state} push toward the BLS P75-P90 band.

Accountant Salary in Missouri (2026): $73K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

$73,210 is the BLS median wage for Accountants in Missouri; $80,359 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
P25-P75 spread runs $56,640 to $97,260; P10 floor $45,760, P90 ceiling $128,240.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $7,149 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #31 of 51; nominal rank is #41.

Wage breakdown — Missouri

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$45,760	$50,228
P25 (lower quartile)	$56,640	$62,171
P50 (median)	$73,210	$80,359
P75 (upper quartile)	$97,260	$106,757
P90 (top tier)	$128,240	$140,762
Mean	$80,160	$87,987
Employment	25,340 Accountants in Missouri

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Missouri index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.1
Goods	97.3
Services	85.6
Rents	70.5

Missouri sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 70.5.

After-tax take-home — Missouri (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$73,210	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,353	10.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,708	0–4.95% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,601	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$57,548	78.6% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$63,167	÷ (91.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Missouri state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $57,548 (78.6% of gross). After the 91.1 RPP, real take-home is $63,167.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. Missouri sits at #41 on nominal pay and #31 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Missouri climbs 10 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Accountant make in Missouri?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $73,210 for Accountants in Missouri as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $56,640 and the 75th-percentile is $97,260.
Why is the BEA RPP for Missouri different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Missouri's overall index of 91.1 reflects rents 70.5, services 85.6, and goods 97.3.
Where does Missouri rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Missouri ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Missouri?: P10 to P90 spans $45,760 to $128,240. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Missouri?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Missouri.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Public accounting vs industry vs government in Missouri — which pays more?: Public accounting (Big 4 / regional firm audit + tax) typically pays 10-15% below industry corporate-accountant pay at the staff/senior level, then crosses over at manager and above as billable-hour leverage compounds. Government accountants in {state} (state DOR, federal IRS/GAO, municipal) usually trail both private paths on base pay but lead on pension and job security. Industry controller/CFO-track roles in {state} push toward the BLS P75-P90 band.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Missouri Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.