Janitorial Wages in Missouri

Any Missouri cleaning contract priced before January 2026 is now underpriced. The state minimum wage jumped $1.25/hr on January 1, 2026, rising from $13.75 to $15.00 under Proposition A (codified as HB 567, signed July 2025). The statewide janitorial median sits at just $17.26/hr, only $1.38 above the new floor, which means the minimum wage increase compressed the entire lower end of the wage distribution and lifted the 10th percentile directly.

What employers should plan for

• Floor: $15.00/hr effective January 1, 2026 (Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.502). This is a $1.25/hr increase from 2025's $13.75/hr. Future annual CPI adjustments apply under the Proposition A framework. Any cleaning contract priced on the 2025 minimum wage must be repriced for 2026. Note: the $1.25/hr jump means 2025 contracts that used $13.75/hr as the base are now $1.25/hr understated.
• Local floors: Kansas City, MO has a city minimum wage ordinance: $15.00/hr (same as state for 2026). St. Louis city minimum wage also tracks the state rate. No Missouri city currently exceeds the state minimum, but future local increases are possible.
• SEIU Local 1 pattern rates: Kansas City and St. Louis organized buildings should budget above the BLS median given SEIU CBA wage floors. The 2025 KC contract includes three years of guaranteed raises; the 2025 STL contract provides raises for 1,600 workers.
• Workers' comp class 9014 — Missouri is an NCCI jurisdiction; estimated base rate approximately $1.30–$1.70/$100 payroll. Rich States Poor States WC index shows Missouri at $1.31/$100 average.

High-wage metros vs. low-wage metros

Kansas City MO-KS MSA leads Missouri at median $16.95/hr (25th: $14.74, 75th: $18.82, 90th: $22.35), with SEIU Local 1's active KC presence supporting wages above the median in organized buildings. St. Louis MO-IL MSA follows at median $16.71/hr (25th: $14.69, 75th: $18.47, 90th: $22.18), with 1,600 SEIU Local 1 members in St. Louis commercial buildings. Springfield MO comes in at $16.22/hr median. At the low end, Jefferson City MSA (the capital) posts $14.49/hr median and Southeast Missouri nonmetro (including the boot heel region) sits at $14.45/hr — both now just barely above the 2026 state minimum of $15.00/hr after the January 1 increase.

Wage percentile distribution (BLS OEWS 2024)

• 10th percentile: $13.59/hr
• 25th percentile: $14.23/hr
• Median (50th): $17.26/hr
• 75th percentile: $18.03/hr
• 90th percentile: $21.84/hr

Missouri's 10th percentile at $13.59/hr is now $1.41/hr below the 2026 minimum wage of $15.00 — meaning the minimum wage increase will directly lift the 10th percentile and compress the lower distribution. In 2026, the effective 10th percentile should be approximately $15.00/hr as minimum wage compliance lifts the bottom of the market. The $8.25/hr spread from 10th to 90th reflects the significant metropolitan-rural wage gap.

Union presence

Missouri's two major commercial markets — Kansas City and St. Louis — are both actively organized by SEIU Local 1. In July 2025, 800 KC janitors in 150+ buildings (including Crown Center, Union Station, and City Hall) ratified a new 3-year contract with guaranteed raises. In December 2025, 1,600 St. Louis janitors cleaning schools, universities, banks, hospitals, and public spaces ratified a new contract. SEIU Local 1 represents janitors across Midwest markets (Chicago, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Kansas City, St. Louis) and its Missouri CBAs influence wages for a meaningful share of the commercial cleaning workforce in those two metros. Outstate Missouri (Springfield, Columbia, Joplin) is predominantly non-union.

What this means for bid math

The January 1, 2026 minimum wage jump to $15.00/hr is the most significant Missouri-specific budget event in this batch. Any multi-year cleaning contract based on pre-2026 pricing must be re-evaluated. Kansas City and St. Louis organized building bids should use $16.95–$17.00/hr as the competitive non-union base and budget for SEIU Local 1 CBA rates (higher, likely $18–$20/hr depending on specific building) in organized properties. Outstate Missouri can be priced at $15.00–$15.50/hr base (essentially at the new minimum) with total loaded cost of $23–$27/hr. The tight $1.38/hr gap between the median ($16.38) and the new minimum ($15.00) suggests Missouri's minimum wage is now meaningfully shaping janitorial wages statewide.

Primary sources

• O*NET Local Wages — Missouri (BLS OEWS May 2025 data)
• Missouri DOL — 2026 Minimum Wage $15.00
• SEIU Local 1 — Kansas City Contract Ratification July 2025
• SEIU Local 1 — St. Louis Contract Ratification December 2025