Access the Talent You Need in the St. Louis Region
Greater St. Louis is home to a diverse, skilled and well-trained workforce that benefits from one of the largest educational centers in the country.
A Growing Workforce
With a population of 2.8 million, the St. Louis metropolitan area has a vast labor pool of almost 1.5 million ready and willing workers. The diverse bi-state region includes seven counties in Missouri and eight in Illinois and attracts about 50,000 new people every year, including about 4,000 immigrants. Great for employers, regional wages here average slightly below the national percentage, while the unemployment rate also hovers below the national mark.
The St. Louis region is home to immigrants from all over the world. When you move to St. Louis, you’re one of us; so we’ve aimed multiple initiatives at strengthening economic inclusion, including the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellows Experience, the International Institute, and the St. Louis Mosaic Project.
An extensive educational market supports the region’s growing workforce. Forty universities and colleges award 34,000 degrees each year, and more than 35 percent of the workforce has earned a bachelor's degree or higher — an educational attainment rank above the national average.
#1 Place
$992
$60,400
STEM Talent
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent is critical to many high-tech and growing industries, and Greater St. Louis boasts one of the largest STEM workforces in the U.S. More than 90,000 were employed in these highly specialized occupations in St. Louis in 2019. STEM employment here is 6.6% of total employment, higher than the U.S. percentage. And STEM occupations have an average annual salary of $86,790 — much higher than non-STEM occupations at $49,220.
To support our strong STEM workforce strengths, the St. Louis region has cultivated a variety of robust STEM educational programs, from college degrees to training programs. We proudly support one of the highest concentration of plant science Ph.D.s in the world. And we’ve grown an emerging ecosystem around the $1.75 billion western headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under construction in north St. Louis.
The region’s skilled talent, vibrant technology ecosystem and strong commitment to collaboration between government, civic, business, academic and community partners make St. Louis the ideal location for our new Advanced Technology Center.
How can we help?
The work of our business attraction team is confidential, complimentary, and comprehensive. If you’re looking to consolidate, expand or move, we’re here to assist.