Missouri Holds Workers' Comp Rates Flat for 2027

Missouri employers will see essentially no change in average workers' compensation costs in 2027. The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) has released the state's workers' comp rates for employers, based on a filing from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) that proposes rate-neutral loss costs at 0%.

That headline number matters because loss costs are the foundation every Missouri carrier uses to build premiums. A 0% proposal means the average employer's base rate holds steady rather than climbing with inflation or falling with the market. For budgeting purposes, it removes one variable from your 2027 planning.

Why rates are staying flat

The NCCI attributes the stable rate environment primarily to a sustained decline in claims frequency across Missouri. Fewer claims per payroll dollar means insurers pay out less, and that savings offsets cost pressure elsewhere in the system. The result is a net-zero filing rather than the increases many states have seen in recent cycles.

It's worth noting what this filing is and isn't. The 0% figure is the statewide average across all industry groups. Individual employers won't all land at zero — the proposal breaks down differently by sector, and experience modifications will still move individual premiums up or down.

What does this change by industry?

The proposed average changes in loss costs by industry group for 2027:

• Manufacturing: +1.2%
• Contracting: -2.0%
• Office & Clerical: -1.2%
• Goods & Services: -0.2%
• Miscellaneous: +1.3%

The spread tells the real story. Contractors get the best news, with a proposed 2.0% cut in loss costs. Office and clerical operations follow with a 1.2% reduction, and goods and services businesses see a marginal 0.2% dip. Manufacturers and miscellaneous classifications absorb modest increases of 1.2% and 1.3% respectively.

So a Missouri manufacturer planning 2027 budgets should assume slightly higher base costs, while a contracting firm can reasonably expect a small tailwind. Nobody in any group faces a swing large enough to upend pricing — the range runs just 3.3 percentage points from best to worst.

Where to verify the numbers

The NCCI's 2027 loss cost filing and the department's independent actuarial review are both available on DCI's website. If you set rates, renew coverage, or manage a safety budget, those two documents are the primary sources. The department's own actuarial review is the check on NCCI's filing, and reviewing both gives you the full picture before carriers apply their own loadings.

What this means going forward

The practical takeaway: Missouri's workers' comp market enters 2027 in neutral, propped up by a claims frequency trend that keeps running in employers' favor. Whether that holds depends on whether the frequency decline continues — a trend worth watching at renewal time, since any reversal would show up in the next filing cycle. For now, the state has given employers the most predictable input they've had in years.