Missouri Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Missouri loss cost for electrical workers comp, class 5190 (Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings and Drivers), is $1.873 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $2.81.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Missouri class code for electrical
- 5190: Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings
- 7538 (Electric Light or Power Line Construction & Drivers)
Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.
What comp costs per electrician in Missouri
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 12,780 electricians on payrolls in Missouri (May 2025), the 22nd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $31.45 an hour, 4% above the US median of $30.38.
Electricians make up about the same share of Missouri jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.89).
At a typical Missouri premium of about $2.81 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.87 for class 5190 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.88 for every hour worked, or $1,838 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $3,676 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Missouri pay runs from $21.09 an hour at the 10th percentile to $50.03 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.59 an hour on a new hire and $1.41 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Missouri
- Coverage required: 5+ employees; 1 for construction
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners are treated as employers, not employees, and don't count toward the threshold
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Knowing failure is a Class A misdemeanor; liability up to three times the premium or $50,000
Missouri's construction rule (one employee) is far stricter than its general five-employee threshold.
Missouri vs neighboring states
- Iowa: about $1.73 per $100 of payroll
Missouri has the highest electrical comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.
What moves a electrical comp bill
- Electrical is one of the cheaper construction classes, so overstated payroll often costs more than the rate itself. Estimate payroll honestly at renewal and true it up at audit.
- Ladder falls and shocks are the typical claims. Lockout and tagout procedures that are actually followed are what keep the experience mod under 1.0.
- Low-voltage, alarm, and solar work can carry different class codes in some states. Ask your agent before you add those lines to the business.
- Office staff and estimators who stay out of the field can usually be rated as clerical. Keep their hours off the field timesheets.