Career Atlas USA

Careers in Cape Girardeau, MO-IL

Part of Missouri.

Cape Girardeau, MO-IL’s regional price level is below the national average (index 86.078, where 100 = U.S. average, 2024 BEA data).

Unemployment rate: 3.7% · 48,305 people employed (2026-06, BLS LAUS, not seasonally adjusted).

Highest-Paying Careers

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  1. 1Pharmacists$141,250
  2. 2Physician Assistants$141,080
  3. 3Financial Managers$139,690
  4. 4Industrial Production Managers$133,110
  5. 5Nurse Practitioners$130,000

Largest Occupations

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  1. 1Home Health and Personal Care Aides1,540 employed
  2. 2Registered Nurses1,470 employed
  3. 3Retail Salespersons1,460 employed
  4. 4General and Operations Managers1,450 employed
  5. 5Cashiers1,270 employed

Highest Concentration

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  1. 1Cooks, Fast Food5.79× national avg
  2. 2Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining5.73× national avg
  3. 3Occupational Therapy Assistants4.13× national avg
  4. 4Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood3.24× national avg
  5. 5Medical Equipment Preparers3.17× national avg

Best Purchasing Power

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cost-of-living adjusted

  1. 1Pharmacists$164,095
  2. 2Physician Assistants$163,898
  3. 3Financial Managers$162,283
  4. 4Industrial Production Managers$154,639
  5. 5Nurse Practitioners$151,026

Sources

Wage and employment data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities. Unemployment rate: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). Opportunity Score isn’t available at the metro level yet — see Missouri state page.