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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Missouri

How to become a general contractor in Missouri

Most general contractors in Missouri start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

37registered apprenticeship programs$42.08median an hour in Missouri

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In MO
37 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In MO
8 schools with programs
Compare 8 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Missouri is $42.08 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Missouri
  3. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need a general contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Div. of Professional Registration)
    Missouri contractor license
Pay once you're working

$87,520

a year is the median for general contractors in Missouri ($42.08 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. St. Louis$46.45
  2. St. Joseph$43.28
  3. Cape Girardeau$42.38
  4. Kansas City$40.43
  5. Jefferson City$39.65
Missouri median $42.08 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Missouri?

Check the Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Div. of Professional Registration) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in Missouri?

Projections Central expects about 1,300 general contractor openings a year in Missouri through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

37 registered programs in Missouri. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Missouri

Sources

  1. Office of Statewide Electrical Contractors (Div. of Professional Registration) (pr.mo.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Missouri, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)