POPULATION: 5,754,618 (2004 estimate)

LABOR FORCE: 3,031,105 (2004 annual average)

RIGHT TO WORK: No

TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES: Agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, service and trade

EXPANDING INDUSTRIES: Advanced manufacturing, biomedical/biotechnology, information and media, financial services, professional services, warehouse/distribution

COLLEGE GRADUATES: (Age 25 and over) 26.6%

BASIC BUSINESS TAXES:
Corporate Income Tax: 5.3 percent net effective corporate income tax rate

Sales and Use Tax: 4.225 percent state rate; an additional 1.5 percent use tax for local jurisdictions; communities may adopt a local sales tax, generally ranging from 0.5 to 1 percent; counties also may adopt a sales tax ranging from 0.25 percent to 1 percent, with exemptions

Property Tax: Real property classified as commercial/industrial is assessed at 32 percent, residential at 19 percent, agricultural at 12 percent of true or fair market value; commercial and industrial real property assessed an additional county surcharge designed to replace revenues lost by tax exemption of business inventories (with exemptions)

BUSINESS INCENTIVES:
 Tax-Exempt Industrial
Development Bonds
State Historic Tax Credit
Missouri Downtown Economic Stimulus Act
Missouri Customized Training
Program
Industrial Infrastructure Grants
Action Fund Loan Program
Tax Increment Financing
Foreign-Trade Zones
Rebuilding Community Tax Credits
Enhanced Enterprise Zone Tax Credits
New Jobs Training Bonds
Brownfield Redevelopment Tax Credits
Quality Jobs Act