Best Community Colleges in Missouri

Why Attend Community College in Missouri?

Missouri is a great place to begin or further your post-secondary education. The state has a rich economy and the seven community college systems within the state offer affordable tuition and greater variety and flexibility than other, more expensive options. Furthermore, the state is home to over 742 different job types, putting it in the top 21 states in terms of opportunities. As a whole, the state of Missouri employs 1.94% of the nations labor force and ranks in the high twenties when compared to other states in terms of labor force size.

What Career Pathways Are Available in Missouri?

Missouri is an attractive option for those looking for a variety of career paths and job opportunities. The state ranks in the upper twenties for job quantity size, coming in at 2,728,100 jobs - about a million more than the median state's quantity of 1,825,370 (Oregon). Even when compared to Minnesota (one of its closest rivals in terms of job quantity), it still comes in ahead with 6,960 less jobs than the latter state. Colorado (2,621,340) and Kansas (2,481,590) are also close contenders, but far behind the Show-Me-State.

What Are The Most Common Jobs in Missouri?

Although there are over 700 different job types in Missouri (742 to be exact), some of the most common are office clerks, general, secretaries, and administrative assistants (which account for about 2.96% of the nation’s total), and customer service reps.

Office Clerks, General

Missouri has 54,790 office clerks, general, making it the 15th most populous state for the position. Salary wise, the Show-Me-State ranks right in line with the median of $35,430 - and slightly lower than neighboring states such as Kansas ($36,320), and Indiana ($36,740). However, it still ranks slightly higher than most states and falls well short of the national leader (California) by a whopping 80%.

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

There’s a large amount of secretaries and administrative assistants in Missouri, with 54,050 such jobs, putting it in the top 10 for the position nationally. Although the pay is slightly lower than office clerks, it ranks in 46th for compensation, at a median of $34,390, falling just short of 90% of other states. The national leader here is once again California, with a maximum amount of 172,560 total secretaries/assistants, which is a far cry from Missouri's median, with a difference of 69%.

Customer Service Representatives

The state of Missouri has 45,260 customer service representatives - the 24th most of any state - falling well short of the leader which is Texas - where nearly 300,000 such reps are employed (Missouri falls short of that total by 84%). The median annual salary for this type of job is $36,360. This puts the state just above the median when compared against its neighbors, Indiana, with a median of $37,070, and Kansas, with a median of $38,050. Missouri is falling short of the national median by 1.9%, but potential bonuses of up to 41% can land you at a substantially higher salary.