Career Pathway: Manufacturing
Manufacturing creates the products people need and want. Manufacturing represents 12.5 percent of total private sector employment in Missouri, employing 311,166 workers across 11,234 establishments. Some of the skills needed for success in the Manufacturing industry include manufacturing process design, development, maintenance, repair, knowledge of and compliance with government regulations, as well as the ability to adapt and consider new ways of doing things. Manufacturing encourages creativity and analytical thinking, with an opportunity for a meaningful and rewarding career with good pay and advancement in the areas of Production, Business Operations and Sales, and Engineering and Maintenance.
Cost of Living First Quarter 2026
Missouri was tied with Iowa for the seventh-lowest cost of living in the United States for the first quarter of 2026. In general, the most expensive areas to live in were Hawaii, Alaska, the Northeast, and the West Coast. The least expensive areas were the Midwest and Southern states. Missouri’s cost of living index for the first quarter 2026 was 88.6. MERIC derives the cost-of-living index for each state by averaging the indices of participating cities and metropolitan areas in that state.
Videos
Click on the following link to view instructional videos on how to use and view reports and data on the MERIC website.
