Reference · State of Missouri

Missouri trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in Missouri, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.

Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
Payroll and licenses state agencies
Checked October 28, 2026 and November 4, 2026

Plumbing median: $32.11/h+4.7% vs the U.S.20th of 51
HVAC median: $28.82/h−1.7% vs the U.S.31st of 51
Electrical median: $31.45/h+3.5% vs the U.S.25th of 51
New-employer SUTA: 2.376%on the first $9,000
Payroll programs: Noneno paid-leave or disability program found
Sales tax on labor: Not taxedrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in Missouri

Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

PlumbingU.S. median $30.67
plumbers: 10th percentile $21.53, 25th $24.35, median $32.11, 75th $48.19, 90th $56.34 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.
HVACU.S. median $29.33
HVAC techs: 10th percentile $18.84, 25th $22.61, median $28.82, 75th $35.87, 90th $42.68 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.
ElectricalU.S. median $30.38
electricians: 10th percentile $21.09, 25th $23.95, median $31.45, 75th $45.08, 90th $50.03 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

25th–75th percentile
State median
U.S. median

Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in Missouri, BLS OEWS May 2025
Percentile	Plumbing	HVAC	Electrical
10th	$21.53	$18.84	$21.09
25th	$24.35	$22.61	$23.95
Median	$32.11	$28.82	$31.45
75th	$48.19	$35.87	$45.08
90th	$56.34	$42.68	$50.03
Mean	$36.06	$30.01	$34.77
U.S. median	$30.67	$29.33	$30.38
vs U.S.	+4.7%	−1.7%	+3.5%
Rank	20th	31st	25th
Jobs	8,310	7,220	12,780

Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.

Payroll costs the state adds

What Missouri charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Employment Security (DES)

Wage base: $9,000 per employee a year
New-employer rate: 2.376%
Construction: Same as other new employers

Missouri Division of Employment Security (DES) 2026 new-employer rates by industry: construction (NAICS 23) 2.376%, the same as all others; nonprofits 1.00%. Rates include contribution rate adjustments.

Per tech, a year 2.376% × $9,000 = $214At the new-employer rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($32.11 × 2,080 h = $66,789). The calculator uses the rate alone.

State pages read October 28, 2026

Workers’ compensation

Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation

Who must carry it: 1 employee in construction · 5 employees otherwiseMissouri employers must carry coverage with five or more employees; construction-industry employers that erect, demolish, alter or repair improvements must carry it with one or more (RSMo 287.030). Family members within the third degree count toward the total. labor.mo.gov · revisor.mo.gov
Where to buy it: Private insurersEmployers insure their entire liability with a carrier authorized in Missouri, or self-insure individually or as a group after satisfying the Division of their ability to pay (RSMo 287.280). revisor.mo.gov
Owners: Sole proprietors and partners are not covered unless they elect coverage by buying a policy for themselves (RSMo 287.035). LLC members are covered unless each rejects coverage in writing, on the Department of Commerce and Insurance form, to the company and its insurer (RSMo 287.037). labor.mo.gov · revisor.mo.gov
Construction: On a construction job, the contractor is deemed the employer of its subcontractors’ and their subcontractors’ employees on the site; the immediate employer is primarily liable and those above it secondarily (RSMo 287.040). revisor.mo.gov

Statute and agency pages read November 4, 2026

Paid leave and disability insurance

We found no state paid family and medical leave or temporary disability insurance program funded through payroll in Missouri on October 28, 2026. State paid sick leave rules, where they exist, are not covered here.

New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the new-employer rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.

What a shop in Missouri needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with Missouri’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Example shop	Break-even	Rate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $32.11	$115.75	$128.61→ $130
HVACwage $28.82	$108.69	$120.76→ $125
Electricalwage $31.45	$114.33	$127.03→ $130

Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on Missouri: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

With employeesOwner-operator

Example shop in Missouri: 3 techs at the state’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · Missouri

Round up to $130 (+$1.39)

See it drawn to scale

Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height

Wage$66,788.80 ÷ 1,216.8 h$54.89
Taxes & benefits25.95% of pay$14.25
Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
Profit 10%of the price$12.86

Break-even: $115.75
Profit per hour: $12.86
Revenue a year: $469,472

$115.75 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $128.61rounded up to $130

Price your tasks at $130 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours: 1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage: $40.44per paid hour
Labor: $69.13per billable hour
Overhead: $32.87per billable hour
Truck: $13.74per billable hour
Labor burden: 25.95%over gross pay

What moves your rate

Every billable hour sold under $115.75 loses money.
At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $107.48, $8.27 an hour less.
Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $113.01.

Show the math

Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
Gross pay per tech$32.11 × 2,080 h = $66,788.80
Employer taxes and comp$4,140.91 SS + $968.44 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $213.84 SUTA + $1,783.26 comp = $7,148.44
Benefits$66,788.80 × 15.25% = $10,185.29
Labor per billable hour$84,122.54 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $69.13
Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
Break-even$69.13 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $115.75
Rate at 10% profit$115.75 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $128.61

Change the numbers

State and trade

Trade

PlumbingHVACElectrical

State

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for Missouri3 figures

Wage Plumbing: $32.11/hr; Missouri median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate New employer: 2.376%; New-employer rate, construction included (Missouri Division of Employment Security, 2026) · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026
SUTA wage base Per tech: $9,000; Missouri · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

Missouri: pay, payroll taxes and licenses See all 50 states and DC

Missouri: the fine print

NAICS is the federal industry code; plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractors are 2382, construction as a whole is 23.

Crew and pay

Field techs

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Tech wage

Average base pay. Filled: Missouri median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

Paid hours per tech

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Paid days off per tech

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Overtime per tech

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Billable efficiency

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop

Payroll taxes and benefits+25.95% of pay

State unemployment (SUTA)

Filled: Missouri new-employer rate, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026. Your notice wins.

SUTA wage base

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: Missouri, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Workers’ comp

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Benefits

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$40.44per paid hour · burden 25.95%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

Annual overhead

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Truck cost per tech

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Target net profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $128.61 per billable hour · break-even $115.75. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What Missouri’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.

Labor: Not taxedThe Department of Revenue’s plumbing and electrical tax matrices list drain repairs and wiring work as exempt, and a 2022 letter ruling told one HVAC and plumbing company it shouldn’t charge sales tax.Items that stay personal property are taxable sales: plumbing items sold without installation, water softeners and filters (separately stated installation labor is exempt), and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors nailed to the wall rather than hard-wired.
Materials: Contractor, when buyingThe contractor pays sales tax on the parts and materials it installs in real property, or consumer’s use tax on them.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.

Plumbing and HVAC

No state license

Plumbing No state license; master/journeyman plumber certificates are issued locally (cities of 15,000+ inhabitants and first-class counties under RSMo ch. 341)Under RSMo 341.010, anyone engaging in the business of plumbing in cities or towns of 15,000 or more inhabitants must first receive a certificate; applications go to a local board of examiners (341.020).
HVAC No state license; mechanical/HVAC contractor licenses are issued by local municipalities where requiredThe Legislature’s Oversight Division notes local municipalities currently license mechanical contractors; bills to create a statewide mechanical contractor license (e.g. SB 31 of 2025, HB 2659 of 2026) were proposals.

No state fee; local fees vary (not researched).

Sources read October 28, 2026

Electrical

State license; local rules may add more

Missouri Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Division of Professional Registration)

Statewide Electrical Contractor license (optional; local licenses otherwise apply)

The statewide electrical contractor license is optional, not mandatory; contractors working only where they hold a local license, or where none is required, need not hold it.

Fee	Amount
License application feeone-time	$200
Triennial renewal fee (per 20 CSR 2117-1.070)3 years	$200

Conflict: the OSEC fee page (effective June 30, 2019) lists the Triennial Renewal Fee as $100 and the inactive renewal as $200, while the regulation 20 CSR 2117-1.070 lists $200 and $100 respectively. The exam is given by an independent testing agency; the Division’s pages do not list its fee.

Keeping the license

Renewal: The optional statewide electrical contractor license from the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors renews every three years (triennial renewal fee in 20 CSR 2117-1.070). pr.mo.gov
Continuing ed.: The Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors does not require continuing education for now, though RSMo 324.910 lets it adopt a rule later. pr.mo.gov
Reciprocity: The statewide electrical contractor law has no reciprocity; an out-of-state license that required an exam and verified experience may be used to meet the Missouri testing and experience requirements. pr.mo.gov

Sources read October 28, 2026

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration: Missouri has no statewide general, residential or home-improvement contractor license or registration. The only state trade license for these shops is the optional statewide electrical contractor license (RSMo 324.900-324.945); plumbing and mechanical contractors are licensed by cities and counties. revisor.mo.gov · pr.mo.gov · senate.mo.gov
Bond: The state sets no bond amount of its own: a statewide electrical contractor must post a bond with each city or county where he works if that local government requires one, and show the state proof of it. Local plumbing and mechanical bonds are set by each city. revisor.mo.gov
Insurance: $500,000An applicant for the optional statewide electrical contractor license must show liability insurance of $500,000 (RSMo 324.920.1(1)); there is no state insurance rule for plumbing or HVAC, which are licensed locally. revisor.mo.gov

Board and statute pages read November 4, 2026

State or city license?

State and local Who licenses the trades in Missouri

Plumbing and HVAC/mechanical are licensed only locally: state law requires master and journeyman plumbers in cities of 15,000 or more to pass a local board’s exam (RSMo 341.020), and Kansas City, for example, requires city plumbing and mechanical certifications. Electrical contractors can work under a local license or the optional statewide license, and a city may not make a statewide licensee pass its own exam (RSMo 324.925.1). revisor.mo.gov · bizcare.kcmo.gov · pr.mo.gov

State and city pages read November 4, 2026

Getting paid: liens and payment rules

What Missouri law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.

Mechanic’s lien

RSMo 429.010 to 429.340Chapter 429 Statutory Liens Against Real Estate

You, hired by the owner: Before receiving any payment, an original contractor must give the person it contracts with the statutory NOTICE TO OWNER in 10-point bold type, at signing, at material delivery, at the start of work, or with the first invoice; without it the contractor has no lien (RSMo 429.012). The notice is not required on new residences where the buyer has title-insurance lien protection. revisor.mo.gov
Subs and suppliers: Notice requiredEveryone except the original contractor must serve the owner a notice at least 10 days before filing the lien, stating the claim amount and who owes it (RSMo 429.100). There is no early preliminary notice; on owner-occupied residential repair or remodel jobs a sub needs a signed Consent of Owner (RSMo 429.013). revisor.mo.gov
File the lien: 6 monthsFile the lien account with the circuit clerk of the county within six months after the debt accrued; equipment renters have 60 days after the equipment was last removed (RSMo 429.080). The same six months applies to subs. revisor.mo.gov
Enforce it: 6 monthsFile the lien-enforcement action within six months after filing the lien, or the lien ends (RSMo 429.170). revisor.mo.gov
Homes: On repair, remodeling or additions to owner-occupied residential property of four units or less, nobody but the original contractor has a lien unless the owner signed a separate CONSENT OF OWNER in 10-point bold type, and a copy must be attached to the lien; without it, the owner’s full payment to the contractor defeats all sub and supplier liens (RSMo 429.013). revisor.mo.gov

Statutes read November 4, 2026

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment: Statute sets deadlinesEveryone on a private design or construction contract must make scheduled payments on the contract’s terms; a court may award interest of up to 1.5% per month from the due date plus attorney fees (RSMo 431.180). Missouri sets no fixed number of days, and the rule does not cover owner-occupied residential property of four units or less. revisor.mo.gov
Retainage: Capped at 10%On private projects (except residential of four or fewer units), retainage may not exceed 10% of each payment (RSMo 436.303); within 30 days after substantial completion the owner must release all retainage except 150% of the cost of remaining items, and the contractor must pay subs their share within 7 days (RSMo 436.324). Wrongly withheld retainage can earn up to 1.5% per month interest (RSMo 436.333). revisor.mo.gov

Statutes read November 4, 2026

Heating and cooling season in Missouri

Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for Kansas City airport, month by month.

Heating degree days: 5,071
Cooling degree days: 1,363
Nights ≤ 32 °F: 107
Days ≥ 90 °F: 36

Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at Kansas City airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Month	Heating	Cooling	Nights ≤ 32 °F
Jan	1,117	0	27
Feb	879	0	22
Mar	639	4	14
Apr	331	19	3
May	109	98	–
Jun	7	280	–
Jul	0	409	–
Aug	2	364	–
Sep	58	158	–
Oct	295	29	2
Nov	645	2	13
Dec	989	0	25

Heating carries the load at Kansas City airport: 5,071 heating degree days a year against 1,363 cooling degree days, peaking in January (1,117).

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are May and September (207 and 216 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 107 a year, ten or more a month in November through March; 4 at or below 0 °F. Days reaching 90 °F: about 36 a year, the most in July.

Weighted by where Missouri’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 5,058 heating and 1,221 cooling degree days — 28th for heating and 15th for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).

Station: Kansas City airport (USW00003947), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 1,117 degree days. Read November 4, 2026.

Sources

Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.

May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
Unemployment insurance tax rates (labor.mo.gov)Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Employment Security (DES) · read October 28, 2026
Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
Plumbing Companies Tax MatrixMissouri Department of Revenue · revised March 28, 2025 · read October 24, 2026
Electrical Companies Tax MatrixMissouri Department of Revenue · revised March 28, 2025 · read October 24, 2026
Letter Ruling LR 8184Missouri Department of Revenue · March 25, 2022 · read October 24, 2026
RSMo 429.010 to 429.340 — Chapter 429 Statutory Liens Against Real EstateOfficial state code · read November 4, 2026
Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsMissouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Workers' Compensation · read November 4, 2026
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Kansas City airport (USW00003947)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026
Population-weighted daily heating and cooling degree day normals, 1981–2010 (states and CONUS)NOAA National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center · read November 4, 2026

1Pay in Missouri

2Payroll costs the state adds

3What a shop in Missouri needs to charge

4Change the numbers for your shop