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US State economic profile
Missouri - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for the Show Me State
In 2026, the state of Missouri has a population of 6,303,113, having grown an annualized 0.4% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 35th out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Missouri's gross state product (GSP) in 2026 reached $359.8b, with growth of 1.6% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Missouri employed a total of 3,256,653 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 1.4%. The top three sectors by total employment are Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Manufacturing, Healthcare & Social Assistance, while the unemployment rate across the state in 2026 was 4.4%.
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State economic profile
Missouri Economic Overview
$359.8b
Gross state product
6,303,113
Population
610,702
Businesses
What is Missouri's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
In 2026, Missouri's GDP reached $359.8b, representing an increase of 1.6% from 2025. Missouri's GDP has grown at an annualized rate of 1.3% over the five years to 2026. Moreover, Missouri's trailing five-year GDP growth ranks it 34th out of all 50 US states.
State GDP, or Gross State Product, is a measurement of a state's output, or the sum of value added from all industries in the state. It is a common indicator used to track the health of a state's economy.
You can track trends in Missouri's GDP, and compare them to the national average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Missouri Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Missouri's state economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers state industry research reports on over 30,000 industries across all 50 states in the US, including 640 industries in Missouri.
What are Missouri's Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Missouri are Drug, Cosmetic & Toiletry Wholesaling, Health & Medical Insurance and Hospitals, which generated $36.2b, $34.5b and $32.9b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Drug, Cosmetic & Toiletry Wholesaling | $36.2b |
| 2. | Health & Medical Insurance | $34.5b |
| 3. | Hospitals | $32.9b |
| 4. | Commercial Banking | $31.6b |
| 5. | New Car Dealers | $23.5b |
| 6. | Automobile & Light Duty Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | $19.0b |
| 7. | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $18.1b |
| 8. | IT Consulting | $17.1b |
| 9. | Colleges & Universities | $16.8b |
| 10. | Property, Casualty and Direct Insurance | $15.9b |
State economic profile
Top Companies in Missouri
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Missouri. IBISWorld offers benchmarking data and tools on over 5,000 companies in the US.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Missouri by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Missouri are Walmart, BJC HealthCare and Washington University, which employed 47,812, 24,920 and 21,247 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Walmart | 47,812 | 1.5% |
| 2. | BJC HealthCare | 24,920 | 0.8% |
| 3. | Washington University | 21,247 | 0.7% |
| 4. | Mercy Inc | 19,569 | 0.6% |
| 5. | Boeing Co | 16,681 | 0.5% |
| 6. | SSM Health | 12,902 | 0.4% |
| 7. | CoxHealth | 12,000 | 0.4% |
| 8. | Oracle Corporation | 11,750 | 0.4% |
| 9. | Schnuck Markets | 7,560 | 0.2% |
| 10. | St. Luke's Health | 6,000 | 0.2% |
State economic profile
Missouri Sector Statistics
In Missouri, certain sectors drive a higher share of state GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Missouri's GDP by Sector?
The Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Manufacturing and Healthcare & Social Assistance sectors contributed the most to Missouri's GDP in 2026, representing a combined 38.3% of state GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the state economy, in addition to how the state economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 49,909,075,520 | 4.5% | 5.0% |
| Manufacturing | 43,842,557,568 | 1.9% | 1.8% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 37,747,030,700 | 4.5% | 4.8% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 33,013,551,116 | 4.3% | 4.0% |
| Retail Trade | 25,348,765,507 | 4.9% | 4.2% |
| Finance & Insurance | 24,919,407,803 | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Wholesale Trade | 20,532,486,643 | -0.8% | -1.0% |
| Information | 19,981,933,055 | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| Construction | 13,072,627,993 | -1.3% | -2.3% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 12,917,352,246 | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 12,230,574,759 | 3.1% | 3.4% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 11,421,082,192 | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 10,854,238,813 | 3.7% | 3.5% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 6,771,070,311 | -1.9% | -1.5% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 5,708,619,620 | 7.8% | 8.2% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 5,549,450,635 | 9.2% | 9.8% |
| Utilities | 4,857,202,832 | -1.0% | -0.9% |
| Educational Services | 3,956,614,004 | -1.1% | -0.7% |
| Mining | 665,261,392 | -6.2% | -9.2% |
What is Missouri's Employment by Sector?
The Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Manufacturing sectors contributed the most to employment in Missouri in 2026, representing a combined 37.1% of state employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the state economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 505,562 | 1.6% | 2.0% |
| Retail Trade | 411,220 | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| Manufacturing | 290,419 | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 270,618 | 0.1% | 2.6% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 265,656 | 1.9% | 2.4% |
| Educational Services | 223,428 | -0.5% | 1.1% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 209,419 | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Construction | 198,417 | 0.9% | 2.1% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 186,891 | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| Finance & Insurance | 179,328 | 1.1% | 1.5% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 145,283 | 0.6% | 2.2% |
| Wholesale Trade | 125,586 | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 85,770 | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Information | 66,342 | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 59,439 | 1.6% | 4.6% |
| Utilities | 24,812 | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 4,591 | 1.4% | 0.7% |
| Mining | 3,872 | 1.9% | 2.3% |
State economic profile
Missouri Employment Trends
3.3m
Employment
4.4%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Missouri?
The state of Missouri employs 3,256,653 people in 2026, which ranks it 22nd out of all 50 US states. Employment in Missouri has grown at an annualized rate of 2.0% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.7%. Major sectors by employment in Missouri include Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Manufacturing, which employed 505,562, 411,220 and 290,419 people in 2026, respectively. Missouri's unemployment rate is 4.4% in 2026, which ranks it 26th out of all 50 US states. Missouri's unemployment rate has trended upwards at a rate of 1.0% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the US economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Missouri, and compare them to the US economy, using the chart below.
$125.7k
Per capita disposable income
What is Missouri's Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Missouri's DPI in 2026 was $125.7k, compared to the US average of $156.5k, which places it 17th out of all 50 US states.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Missouri's per capita disposable income, and compare it to the US average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Missouri Construction & Building Trends
$8,072.3tn
Nonresidential construction
$5.6tn
Residential construction
16,301
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a state’s economy?
In Missouri, non-residential construction was $8,072.3tn in 2026, which ranks it 20th out of all 50 US states. Residential construction was $5.6tn in 2026, which places Missouri 35th out of all 50 US states. The number of building permits issued in Missouri in 2026 was 16,301, representing a -4.7% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a state. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Missouri, and compare it to trends in the number issued in the United States as a whole, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Missouri Population Statistics
Which Counties in Missouri have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Missouri are St. Louis County, Jackson County and St. Charles County, which had populations of 974,019, 721,925 and 426,456 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 974.0k | -0.4% | 15.4% |
| Jackson | 721.9k | 0.2% | 11.4% |
| St. Charles | 426.5k | 0.8% | 6.8% |
| Greene | 309.7k | 0.5% | 4.9% |
| St. Louis City | 266.8k | -1.8% | 4.2% |
| Clay | 266.7k | 0.9% | 4.2% |
| Jefferson | 236.0k | 0.7% | 3.7% |
| Boone | 194.8k | 0.9% | 3.1% |
| Jasper | 127.5k | 0.7% | 2.0% |
| Platte | 116.7k | 1.4% | 1.9% |
| Cass | 115.3k | 1.1% | 1.8% |
| Franklin | 108.0k | 0.5% | 1.7% |
| Christian | 99.1k | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| Cape Girardeau | 84.0k | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Buchanan | 81.9k | -0.4% | 1.3% |
| Cole | 77.9k | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Lincoln | 69.5k | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| St. Francois | 67.3k | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| Newton | 62.4k | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| Taney | 57.3k | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Johnson | 56.0k | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| Pulaski | 53.9k | N/A | 0.8% |
| Phelps | 45.7k | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Camden | 44.9k | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Callaway | 44.9k | 0.1% | 0.7% |
State economic profile
Missouri Demographics
In Missouri, 34.6% of the population has a Bachelors or higher. The largest ethnic group in Missouri is White, accounting for 76.6% of the state's population.
Education level in Missouri
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 34.6 |
| Other | 65.4 |
Race in Missouri
| Race | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| White | 76.6 |
| Black | 11.4 |
| Hispanic | 6.1 |
| Other | 3.3 |
| Asian | 2.7 |
Missouri State industry reports
IBISWorld State Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the state level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 640 Missouri industry reports.
Other states to explore
Compare Missouri’s economy with other states in the United States.
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