St. Joseph, MO-KS metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a forklift operator make in St. Joseph, MO?

In the St. Joseph, MO-KS metropolitan area, forklift operators earned a median of $42,030 a year ($20.21 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 360 of these jobs there. That is 11% below the $47,350 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $35,490 and $49,450; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $34,406 in take-home pay.

Forklift operator pay in St. Joseph, MO at a glance

Median salary

$42,030$20.21 per hour · $3,503 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$35,490$17.06/hr
25th percentile$39,160$18.83/hr
75th percentile$45,650$21.95/hr
90th percentile$49,450$23.78/hr
Jobs in this metro360Location quotient 1.31 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here11% belowAll-jobs median $47,350
Against Kansas11% belowStatewide median $47,430
Against the U.S.9% belowNational median $46,420

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Forklift operator salary in St. Joseph, MO after taxes

$42,030
$15,000$85,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$42,030
Net 82%
Fed 7%
KS 4%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$34,406After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,867Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,323Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,864 / yr
Kansas state income tax$1,546 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,215 / yr

Forklift operators pay range in St. Joseph, MO, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the St. Joseph, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What forklift operators earned in the St. Joseph, MO-KS metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KS)
10th percentile$17.06/hr$2,958$35,490$29,515
25th percentile$18.83/hr$3,263$39,160$32,260
MedianMedian$20.21/hr$3,503$42,030$34,406
75th percentile$21.95/hr$3,804$45,650$37,112
90th percentile$23.78/hr$4,121$49,450$39,953

Is $42,030 a good salary in St. Joseph, MO?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for forklift operators next to both.

Median household income$65,005Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)86.413.6% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household64.7%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Forklift operator pay in St. Joseph, MO: common questions

What is the median salary for forklift operators in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

The BLS median annual wage for forklift operators in the St. Joseph, MO-KS metro area was $42,030 in May 2025, about $3,503 a month or $20.21 an hour. Statewide, the Kansas median for this job is $47,430, so the metro pays 11% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for forklift operators in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

The median hourly wage for forklift operators in St. Joseph, MO-KS was $20.21 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $17.06 an hour and one in ten earned more than $23.78.

How many forklift operators work in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

BLS estimated 360 jobs for forklift operators in the metro in May 2025, or 6.5 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.31 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for forklift operators in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

BLS wage estimates for forklift operators in St. Joseph, MO-KS run from $35,490 at the 10th percentile to $39,160 at the 25th, $45,650 at the 75th, and $49,450 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do forklift operators take home after taxes in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

On a median gross salary of $42,030, an estimated $34,406 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,323 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,624 (an effective rate of 18.1%).

How much do forklift operators make per month in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

On the median annual salary of $42,030, gross monthly income is $3,503. After federal, FICA, and Kansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,867 per month (or $1,323 every two weeks).

Is $42,030 a good salary in St. Joseph, MO-KS?

At $42,030, the median salary for forklift operators is 64.7% of the St. Joseph, MO-KS median household income ($65,005). It is 11% below the $47,350 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 86.4, so prices here run 13.6% below the U.S. average.