SOC 39-9032 · Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro

Recreation Workers Salary in Cape Girardeau, MO

The average salary for recreation workers in Cape Girardeau, Missouri is $33,940 a year ($16.32 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $30,910: half of the 100 people in this job in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 13% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($38,839).

$33,940average per year

$16.32 / hourMedian $30,910Take-home ≈ $28,793

  • $29K10th
  • $29K25th
  • $31KMedian
  • $38K75th
  • $43K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

100people in this job
-13%vs U.S. metro average
#7 of 8Missouri metros
86cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Recreation Workers pay range in Cape Girardeau

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,600 a year or less, while the top 10% make $42,870 or more. The middle half of recreation workers in Cape Girardeau earn between $28,900 and $37,540.

  • $29K10th
  • $29K25th
  • $31KMedian
  • $38K75th
  • $43K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$33,940$2,828$16.32
Median$30,910$2,576$14.86
Entry level (25th percentile)$28,900$2,408$13.89
Experienced (75th percentile)$37,540$3,128$18.05

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Recreation Workers salary after taxes in Cape Girardeau

On the average salary of $33,940, a single filer in Cape Girardeau takes home about $28,793 a year, or $2,399 a month and $1,107 every two weeks. Taxes take 15% of gross pay.

The Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in MO$28,793$2,399
Working in IL$27,912$2,326

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). The 1% earnings tax applies to people who live or work in Kansas City or St. Louis itself, not in the suburbs.

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Is Cape Girardeau a good place for recreation workers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Cape Girardeau area are 14% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 86.1), so the average $33,940 buys what about $39,429 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Cape Girardeau ($44,470). A typical home costs $232,332, or 6.8 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $33,940 is worth in another city

Recreation Workers salary in other Missouri cities

Cape Girardeau ranks 7th of 8 Missouri metro areas for this job; Columbia pays the most ($38,630).

All Recreation Workers salaries in Missouri

Highest-paying cities for recreation workers

Fairbanks, AK pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($61,070).

Recreation Workers salary by city

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Recreation Workers salary in Cape Girardeau: questions

How much do recreation workers make an hour in Cape Girardeau?

$16.32 an hour on average, and $14.86 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level recreation workers salary in Cape Girardeau?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $28,600 a year and the 25th percentile is $28,900, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the recreation workers take-home pay in Cape Girardeau?

About $28,793 a year ($2,399 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $33,940. The 1% earnings tax applies to people who live or work in Kansas City or St. Louis itself, not in the suburbs.

Do recreation workers earn more in Cape Girardeau than elsewhere?

The average here is 13% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($38,839).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 39-9032; area Cape Girardeau, MO-IL (16020). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.8%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). The 1% earnings tax applies to people who live or work in Kansas City or St. Louis itself, not in the suburbs.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.02, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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