Missouri Workers' Compensation Cost Calculator
Key facts: workers' comp in Missouri
- Who must be covered
- Mandatory from 1 employee in construction, 5 employees elsewhereOfficial agency: DWC
- Average rate
- $1.31 per $100 of payrollRank #16 of 51 (#1 = most expensive), above the $1.09 national median
- Rating organization
- NCCINational Council on Compensation Insurance · Private insurers
- Verified from official records
- October 3, 2026Rates: Oregon DCBS study, June 2025
Missouri requires workers' comp from five employees, or from the first employee in the construction industry. Coverage comes from an insurance carrier authorized by the Department of Commerce and Insurance, or through self-insurance approved by the Division of Workers' Compensation.
Rates in effect January 1, 2024 · Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, 2024 study (June 2025) · Nothing you enter leaves your browser
2024 study rate for all industries in Missouri. Edit it if your policy shows a different rate.
For the class you're pricing. Insurers rate each class code's payroll separately.
Printed on your experience rating worksheet or renewal. New or small employers that don't qualify for experience rating are rated at 1.00.
Estimated premium
$13,100
per year at an EMR of 1.00
At an average mod
$13,100
per year at an EMR of 1.00
Your EMR's impact
$0
no adjustment
Effective cost: $1.31 per $100 of payroll.
At an EMR of 1.00, your claims history neither raises nor lowers this premium.
Every claim from now on counts toward your next three renewals. IncidentLog makes the first step — a complete, same-day incident report — take about 90 seconds from a job-site QR code.
Create a free accountEstimate before schedule credits or debits, premium discounts, expense constants, state assessments and minimum premiums — your insurer's quote will differ.
Who must carry workers' comp in Missouri?
Mandatory from 1 employee in construction, 5 employees elsewhere
- Construction
- From 1 employee
- Other industries
- From 5 employees
Part-time, casual and family workers count, as do LLC members and corporate officers.
Official agency
Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC)
Market: Private insurers
Missouri workers' comp rates by business type
Rate per $100 of payroll for common class codes in Missouri, against the median of the 51 jurisdictions in the study.
| Business type (NCCI code) | Missouri | U.S. median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office and clerical staff (8810) | $0.14 | $0.11 | +27% |
| Retail store (8017) | $1.56 | $1.20 | +30% |
| Restaurant (full service) (9082) | $1.43 | $1.09 | +31% |
| Restaurant (fast food) (9083) | $1.24 | $1.09 | +14% |
| Hotel (all other employees) (9052) | $1.96 | $1.79 | +9% |
| Assisted living / retirement center (care staff) (8824) | $2.27 | $2.03 | +12% |
| Hospital (professional staff) (8833) | $1.23 | $0.82 | +50% |
| Electrical contractor (5190) | $2.56 | $2.37 | +8% |
| Plumbing contractor (5183) | $3.33 | $2.70 | +23% |
| Residential carpentry (up to 3 stories) (5645) | $9.70 | $8.71 | +11% |
| Roofing (5551) | $15.16 | $9.64 | +57% |
| Trucking (7219) | $7.58 | $5.72 | +33% |
Missouri uses NCCI class codes. Your insurer applies the rate for your own classes, then your EMR.
What a bad EMR costs in Missouri
Take $500,000 of payroll at Missouri's $1.31 index rate: $6,550 a year at an average mod of 1.00.
- EMR 0.85
- $5,568/yr
- EMR 1.25
- $8,188/yr
- Difference
- +$2,620/yr
A claim year usually stays in the mod for three renewals, so the gap adds up to about $7,860. The mod is built from claims, and the cheapest claim is the injury caught early.
IncidentLog lets crews report an injury or near miss from a job-site QR code in about 90 seconds, so you hear about it the same shift and see patterns on your OSHA 300 log before they become claims.
Create a free accountMissouri workers' comp FAQ
Is workers' comp insurance mandatory in Missouri?
It depends on the industry. In Missouri, construction employers need coverage from 1 employee, other employers from 5 employees. Part-time, casual and family workers count, as do LLC members and corporate officers. Source: Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation.
How are workers' comp rates set in Missouri?
Employers buy coverage from private insurance companies. The Oregon DCBS study lists NCCI (the National Council on Compensation Insurance) as Missouri's rating organization. Your own premium then depends on your class codes, your payroll and your experience modification rate (EMR).
What is the average workers' comp rate in Missouri?
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services's 2024 study puts Missouri's all-industry index rate at $1.31 per $100 of payroll for rates in effect on January 1, 2024, 120% of the study's national median of $1.09. That ranks Missouri #16 of 51 jurisdictions, where #1 is the most expensive (#13 in the 2022 study). Your own rate depends on your class codes.
Sources
Official texts behind this page (2 quotes)
“Missouri Employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance if they have five or more employees. Missouri Employers involved in the construction industry are required to carry the coverage if they have one or more employees.”
Workers' compensation insurance — Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
“Every employer that has five or more employees must insure its workers′ compensation obligations with an insurance carrier that is authorized to write such insurance in the state of Missouri by the Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) or meet the Division of Workers′ Compensation requirements to self-insure its liabilities.”
Who is required to carry workers' compensation insurance coverage? — Missouri Department of Labor (opens in a new tab) · checked October 3, 2026
An estimate for planning, not a quote, legal or insurance advice. IncidentLog is not an insurer or broker. Median rate across all industries: $1.09 per $100.