Real Estate Agent Salary in Missouri: Median $29,170 in 2026
Missouri (MO) · State tax: 4.7% top marginal · RPP 91.1 · Rank #20 of 51 for take-home
A Real Estate Agent in Missouri earns a median of $29,170 per year, based on the most recent 2023 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release[1]adjusted for Missouri's Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity of 91.1 (US = 100)[2]. The 10th percentile starts at about $24,960, while the 90th percentile reaches $45,050. After federal income tax, FICA, and Missouri state income tax, a single-filer takes home roughly $25,076/year — about $2,090/month or $964 every other week.
Because Missouri is a low-cost state (RPP 91.1), the real purchasing power of that take-home is roughly $27,525 in national-average terms. Among all 51 jurisdictions in the US, Missouri ranks #20 for take-home pay on a $29,170 gross — a Real Estate Agent keeps 86.0% of every dollar earned after federal, state, and payroll taxes. Nationally, BLS projects 3% growth in this occupation through 2034[3], which typically translates into comparable demand at the Missouri state level.
Real Estate Agent Salary Snapshot — Missouri (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Percentiles are BLS OEWS state-level where published; otherwise scaled from the national distribution by Missouri's RPP.
| Metric | Missouri | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median wage (P50) | $29,170 | $54,300 | [1] |
| 10th percentile (state) / 25th percentile (national) | $24,960 | $32,080 (P25) | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $45,050 | $159,220 | [1] |
| State employment (SOC group) | 253,880 | 467,200 | [1] |
| Cost-of-living index (BEA RPP) | 91.1 | 100.0 | [2] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $25,076 | $45,759* | [4][6] |
| Take-home rank (51 jurisdictions) | #20 | — | [4] |
| COL-adjusted take-home (real $) | $27,525 | — | [2] |
*National reference column uses Texas as a no-income-tax baseline to isolate the state-tax effect.
How Real Estate Agent Salaries Work in Missouri
A Real Estate Agent paycheck in Missouri is stacked the same way as every US paycheck: gross wage, then federal income tax withholding based on IRS Publication 17 bracket tables[4], then FICA — Social Security 6.2% (up to the 2025 wage base of $176,100) and Medicare 1.45% (plus 0.9% above $200,000)[5], then whatever the state layers on top. Missouri applies a graduated income tax with a top marginal rate of 4.7%; on a $29,170 median Real Estate Agent salary the effective rate comes out to 1.7%, or $490 per year.[6]
Beyond income tax, two Missouri floors matter. State minimum wage sets the price of entry-level labor and pulls up the bottom of the wage distribution[7]. Cost of living — measured by the BEA Regional Price Parity of 91.1 — sets the price of housing, groceries, utilities, and services that determine how far the paycheck goes[2]. Together these two numbers explain most of the variance between nominal and real Real Estate Agent compensation across states.
Local demand also matters. State-level OEWS puts about 253,880 people in this SOC group across Missouri, which lets employers compete on wages rather than benefits alone.The lower cost base in this state means employers can offer 5–10% below the national nominal median and still win talent competition against mid-cost states. Two workers with identical Real Estate Agent titles can therefore see very different take-home outcomes depending purely on Missouri's tax and cost profile.
The complete identity: take_home = gross − federal_tax − state_tax − FICA − pre_tax_deductions. Every number in the table above, and every paycheck calculator on CalcFi, runs that identity client-side. No inputs leave your browser.
Real Estate Agent Salary by City in Missouri
Estimated median Real Estate Agentsalary by metro, using each city's composite cost-of-living index against the Missouri statewide OEWS median. Rent is ACS + Zillow ZORI; unemployment is BLS LAUS.
| City | Est. median salary | COL index | Median rent | Est. net (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO | $25,086 | 86 | $900/mo | $1,828 |
| Kansas City, MO | $26,836 | 92 | $1,146/mo | $1,941 |
| Springfield, MO | $24,211 | 83 | $875/mo | $1,771 |
| Columbia, MO | $25,086 | 86 | $900/mo | $1,828 |
| Independence, MO | $25,086 | 86 | $950/mo | $1,828 |
Sources: Zillow ZORI / Census ACS[9], BLS OEWS[1], BEA RPP[2]. City-level salary estimates scale the statewide OEWS median by each metro's composite COL index; actual employer wages can deviate by ±10–20% depending on industry mix.
Missouri vs Neighbor States — Real Estate Agent Take-Home
Same $29,170 gross salary, different state tax regimes. The table shows what a single-filer Real Estate Agentwould net in each bordering state. Useful if you're comparing job offers across state lines or considering a relocation.
| State | State tax (eff.) | Annual take-home | vs MO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri ★ | 1.7% | $25,076 | — |
| Arkansas | 3.3% | $24,608 | -$468 |
| Illinois | 4.5% | $24,263 | -$813 |
| Iowa | 3.8% | $24,458 | -$618 |
| Kansas | 2.9% | $24,713 | -$363 |
★ = no state individual income tax. Numbers assume identical $$29,170 gross, single filer, standard deduction. Real-world comparisons should also factor in cost-of-living differences (RPP) and any local income taxes[6][2].
Cost of Living vs Salary — Purchasing Power in Missouri
Nominal dollars only tell part of the story. The BEA Regional Price Parity for Missouri is 91.1 (US = 100)[2]. That means an identical basket of goods and services costs 8.9% less in Missouri than in an average-cost US location. A Real Estate Agent's $25,076 nominal take-home therefore equals about $27,525 of national-average purchasing power.
Concretely, that shows up in three budget buckets:
- Housing. The single biggest driver. In lower-RPP states like Missouri, housing often stays under 25% of take-home for a median-salary Real Estate Agent.
- Groceries + services.BEA publishes sub-indexes for goods, rents, and other services. Goods tend to be closer to national averages (they're traded); services and rents are where the big state-level spreads show up.
- State + local tax. Missouri's state income tax removes 1.7% of gross before it ever hits the RPP basket — so comparing pure RPP between states with very different tax structures understates the true cost difference.
The classic rule of thumb — "aim for take-home ≥ 3x your monthly housing cost" — holds in Missouri only above the 60th-percentile wage band for this occupation. Below that threshold, the RPP hit compounds with fixed housing costs and the real savings rate collapses. Above it, Missouri's lower cost base makes this a strong wealth-building state for Real Estate Agents.
Where Real Estate Agents Work in Missouri
BLS OEWS attributes roughly 253,880 Missouri workers to the Service major group containing Real Estate Agent.Major hiring industries for Real Estate Agents tend to cluster into three groups: (1) large private employers in service (primary source of wage pressure at the top of the distribution); (2) state and local government — consistently one of the top five service employers in most US states; and (3) federal government and contractors — especially relevant in states with large DoD or federal civilian footprints.
Typical entry requirement for this role is a high school diploma plus license. Common tax-deductible professional expenses that Real Estate Agents in Missouri can consider — where itemizing makes sense — include: Real estate license fees (state), MLS membership dues, NAR membership dues, Vehicle and mileage (showing properties). Confirm deductibility with a CPA; 2017 TCJA changes limited unreimbursed employee expenses, but self-employed or contractor Real Estate Agents still get full Schedule C treatment.
Career Progression & Related Professions in Missouri
Early-career Real Estate Agents in Missouri typically start near the 10th percentile ($24,960), reach the median ($29,170) after 4–8 years, and enter the 90th percentile ($45,050) with senior or specialized roles. Related service occupations in Missouri:
Useful calculators for Real Estate Agents in Missouri
Other professions in Missouri
Local context: Missouri
Housing economics in Missouri. The median home value runs 17.6% below the U.S. baseline for Missouri is $295,000 per Zillow's home-value index. Effective property tax sits at 0.97% of assessed value, below the 0.99% national average tracked by the Tax Foundation. Lenders in Missouri have quoted 6.30% on the 30-year fixed product over the trailing four-week window per Freddie Mac PMMS — the prevailing posted rate before any borrower-specific lock-ins.
Income and tax climate. Median household income in Missouri reaches $78,390 per the ACS five-year vintage, trailing the $78,538 U.S. median. Missouri's top marginal state income tax bracket lands at 5.30% — compared to the volume-weighted national average around 4-5%. BEA's Regional Price Parity scores Missouri at 90.0 (national = 100), meaning a dollar in Missouri buys 111¢ — more goods and services than the same dollar nationally.
How Missouri affects take-home pay. Federal FICA, Medicare, and income tax are identical for every wage earner regardless of state. Missouri's contribution is the state income tax overlay plus any state-level disability or paid-family-leave deductions. Where applicable, the calculator factors in the local minimum wage when an hourly-to-salary conversion is involved, and uses BLS OEWS median earnings for Missouri as the contextual baseline shown alongside your inputs.
Local context as of 2026-06-12. Live data sources are listed in the Sources section below; each metric carries its own retrieval date.
Missouri versus the U.S. baseline
How does Missouri stack up against the national average on the metrics that drive the calculators on this page? The table below pairs the Missouri-specific reading against the U.S. baseline so you can see at a glance whether your local scenario runs above or below typical. Three to five percentage points of difference on most of these inputs translates into meaningful changes in calculator output — for example, a 50-basis-point difference in mortgage rate moves the monthly payment on a $400,000 30-year loan by roughly $130.
| Metric | Missouri | U.S. baseline | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Real Estate Agent salary[bls-oews] | $29,170 | $54,300 | -46.3% |
| Annual take-home (single filer)[irs] | $25,076 | $45,759 | -45.2% |
| Top marginal state income tax[state-dor] | 4.70% | ~4.08% (volume-weighted) | 0.6 pp |
| Cost-of-living index (BEA RPP)[bea-rpp] | 91.1 | 100.0 | -8.9 pts |
| Effective combined tax rate[irs] | 14.0% | ~24-28% (typical) | — |
How to use the Real Estate Agent salary calculator for Missouri
Walk through estimating Real Estate Agent pay in Missouri using state-specific BLS OEWS percentiles, IRS / state tax math, and BEA cost-of-living adjustments.
- Pre-fill with local dataEach calculator on this page loads with state- or city-specific defaults pulled live from primary sources (FRED, BLS, Zillow, Freddie Mac PMMS, IRS, BEA). The blue values shown next to each input are the local averages so you can see how your scenario compares to the typical case before changing anything.
- Override the inputs you controlChange any field to model your actual situation. The math reruns in your browser the moment you change a value — no signup, no API call, no data transmission. Hover over the small (i) icon next to each label to see the formula that field feeds and where the default came from.
- Read the derived valuesThe result panel shows the primary calculation (monthly payment, take-home pay, savings projection, etc.) plus the intermediate values that drive it. Each line item is labeled with the formula component it represents so you can verify the arithmetic against any agency publication, textbook, or competing calculator.
- Adjust assumptions and re-runMost calculators have a section for assumption inputs that are easy to overlook — annual raises, expected return, inflation, vacancy rate, depreciation schedule, marginal vs. effective tax treatment. The defaults are conservative; aggressive scenarios usually require explicit overrides.
- Save to "My Numbers"When the inputs match your reality, click Save to "My Numbers". The values persist to your device's local storage (IndexedDB) and reload automatically on your next visit. Nothing is transmitted to any CalcFi server — the saved-state feature is deliberately client-side only for privacy.
- Compare scenarios side by sideMost calculators offer a comparison view that shows two or more scenarios side by side. Use this to model decision points: 15-year vs 30-year mortgage, Roth vs Traditional IRA, salary vs hourly, lease vs buy. The comparison view also produces a shareable summary you can download as PNG or PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions — Real Estate Agent in Missouri
What is the median salary for a Real Estate Agent in Missouri?
Based on BLS OEWS 2023 state-level data and BEA RPP cost-of-living adjustments, the median Real Estate Agent in Missouri earns approximately $29,170/year. The 10th percentile is around $24,960 and the 90th percentile reaches $45,050. State OEWS lists about 253,880 people employed in this occupational group statewide.
How much does a Real Estate Agent take home after taxes in Missouri?
On a $29,170 gross salary, a single-filer Real Estate Agent in Missouri takes home approximately $25,076/year ($2,090/month, $964 bi-weekly) after federal income tax (4.7%), Missouri state income tax (1.7%), and FICA. Combined effective rate: 14.0%. Numbers assume the standard deduction; itemizing or pre-tax 401(k) contributions will raise your net.
How does Missouri compare to other states for Real Estate Agent take-home pay?
Missouri ranks #20 out of 51 for Real Estate Agent take-home pay at the $29,170 state median salary. The best state for this gross is Alaska ($25,566/yr take-home) and the worst is Oregon ($23,568/yr). A Real Estate Agent in Missouri keeps 86.0% of every gross dollar earned.
What is the cost-of-living-adjusted salary for a Real Estate Agent in Missouri?
Missouri's BEA regional price parity is 91.1 (US = 100), meaning the state's $25,076 take-home is equivalent to about $27,525 of national-average purchasing power. Because living costs are 8.9% below average, your salary stretches further in Missouri than in an average-cost state.
How do Real Estate Agent salaries vary by city in Missouri?
Within Missouri, Real Estate Agent salaries scale with metro-level cost of living. For example, St. Louis (86 COL index, estimated median $25,086), Kansas City (92 COL index, estimated median $26,836), Springfield (83 COL index, estimated median $24,211). Higher-COL metros pay more in nominal terms, but after rent and groceries the net purchasing power often evens out.
What state taxes affect a Real Estate Agent paycheck in Missouri?
Missouri's state income tax has an effective rate of 1.7% on a $29,170 salary ($490/yr). The structure is graduated with a top marginal rate of 4.7%. Property tax averages 1.0% and state sales tax is 4.2%. Federal income tax deductible (limited). Local income taxes (avg ~0.21% of AGI) not included. Uses federal standard deduction.
What is the career outlook for Real Estate Agents in Missouri?
Nationally, BLS Employment Projections expect 3% growth in the Real Estate Agent occupation through 2034. Missouri-specific demand typically tracks national trends, with adjustments for local industry mix. The typical entry requirement is a high school diploma plus license, and Real estate agents help clients buy, sell, and rent properties. Most are self-employed and earn commission-based income, making tax planning and deductions critical.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage percentiles. Primary source is the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) state-level release, 2023 vintage. We pull the state row for the SOC major group that contains Real Estate Agent (35-0000). When the BLS suppresses a cell for data-quality reasons, we fall back to the national percentile scaled by Missouri's BEA RPP — the same method BLS's own reports use.
Take-home tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the single standard deduction ($15,000). State tax uses the Missouri2026 brackets from the state Department of Revenue, mirrored by Tax Foundation where the DoR's PDF is paywalled or split across multiple publications. FICA is Social Security 6.2% (capped at $176,100 wage base) + Medicare 1.45% + 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000. All math is the deterministic identity take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA; no Monte Carlo or estimator models.
Cost-of-living adjustments.We use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) for all-items. RPP is a purchasing-power index where US = 100. Real (COL-adjusted) take-home is nominal_take_home / (RPP / 100). City-level estimates scale the statewide OEWS median by each metro's composite COL index from our /data/cities.ts dataset, which merges Census ACS, BLS, and Zillow inputs.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases once a year (typically March, for the prior May reference period). BEA RPP releases once a year in December. Federal tax brackets are updated annually by the IRS (October inflation adjustment). State brackets refresh per legislative calendar. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps when any sourced value's retrievedAt changes — no template edit required.
Known limits.Statewide medians mask large intra-state variance — metros and rural counties can differ by 20–40% for the same SOC code. We don't currently bake in local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental). We assume single-filer, standard deduction, no pre-tax contributions; users with itemized deductions or 401(k) deferrals should plug their specifics into the linked calculators. Suppressed BLS cells fall through to national-scaled fallbacks, which can under-estimate demand in specialty states.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities by State (all-items RPP) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- Missouri Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division — State Minimum Wage Laws — www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) — real median household income per state — fred.stlouisfed.org. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
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