Janitorial Wages in Missouri (2026)

Missouri's $16.38/hr janitorial median is just $1.38 above its 2026 $15.00 minimum wage — one of the tightest floor-to-median gaps in this batch — with SEIU Local 1 actively representing 2,400+ union janitors across Kansas City and St. Louis under new contracts ratified in 2025.

CurrentStatute: BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) + Mo. Rev. Stat. §290.502 (state minimum wage; Proposition A ballot-enacted increases); HB 567 signed July 2025 codifying $15.00 effective January 1, 2026Effective: $15.00/hr effective January 1, 2026 (increased from $13.75 in 2025; future annual CPI adjustments apply per Proposition A framework signed HB 567, July 2025)Last reviewed: Q2 2026

Missouri's janitorial workforce earns a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $16.38 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011) — above the $15.00/hr state minimum wage effective January 1, 2026, but only by $1.38/hr. Missouri's Proposition A ballot initiative, codified into law as HB 567 (signed July 2025), set the 2026 minimum at $15.00 — a $1.25/hr increase from 2025's $13.75 — making this one of the largest single-year minimum wage jumps in this batch and directly compressing the lower end of the janitorial wage distribution.

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): $16.38/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

Related research for Missouri