Movers in Missouri charge about $85 to $135 per hour for a two-person crew on local jobs, and a two-bedroom interstate move from Missouri is estimated at $2,500 to $6,000. Intrastate movers in Missouri are licensed by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services, while any company moving household goods across state lines must hold FMCSA operating authority. Peak demand runs May to August, when quotes sit at the top of those ranges. BestMovers.info compares 182 licensed carriers serving Missouri, with pricing data as of May 2026.
Compare moving companies, Federal Records, and moving resources for Missouri. BestMovers.info publishes no numeric score, star rating or ranked order.
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Moving inside Missouri means working around a May–August peak and a Midwest labour market of roughly 6.2 million people. Off-peak dates in November–March price 15% to 25% below the summer band.
Two crew members at standard rates run roughly $110/hr in most of the state, with downtown high-rise jobs and gated communities pulling toward the upper end. A typical 2-bedroom interstate move out of Missouri settles around $4,250, though distance and packing services swing that meaningfully.
Local quirks worth pricing in: winter pickups that can slip a day after snowstorms, and a strong August student-move surge. None of these are dealbreakers, but they show up in the final bill if you don't ask about them upfront.
Verification in Missouri runs through the Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services. A mover operating inside Missouri must hold Intrastate Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority, issued as a certificate by the State Highways and Transportation Commission. The authorisation is a Intrastate Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority, issued as a certificate by the State Highways and Transportation Commission. Interstate carriers additionally need active FMCSA authority, which you can check on SAFER by USDOT number.
Ask each Missouri company whether the quote is binding, non-binding, or binding-not-to-exceed, and get the answer on the estimate itself.
Missouri runs its heaviest volume May–August, and its 2 covered metros feed most of that demand out of and around Jefferson City. Population sits near 6.2 million, which is what sets how deep the local crew pool actually is in November–March.
Selection for Missouri starts from licensing, not marketing. A company is listed here when it is headquartered in Missouri or its record shows coverage of the state, and when we can describe it from sourced fields: federal registration, operating authority, founding year, and service coverage. We publish no numeric score and rank nobody first.
Which company suits your move is a question of scope and date, not of a score: BestMovers.info publishes no numeric score, star rating or ranked order. The pricing model behind the estimates on this page is dated May 2026.
Two movers, ground-floor access, standard packing. Peak season in Missouri is May–August.
| Home size | Local move | Interstate move |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $255–$675 | $1,375–$3,600 |
| 1 Bedroom | $340–$810 | $1,875–$4,680 |
| 2 Bedroom | $510–$1,215 | $2,500–$6,000 |
| 3 Bedroom | $680–$1,620 | $3,625–$9,300 |
| 4 Bedroom | $935–$2,160 | $4,875–$12,900 |
| 5+ Bedroom | $1,190–$2,700 | $6,000–$16,200 |
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 922 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Missouri, and 511 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Missouri address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Missouri. An interstate move into or out of Missouri can be performed by a carrier registered in any state.
FMCSA motor carrier census, Company Census FileData as of 2026-08-10
IRS tax return data for filing years 2022 to 2023 records 70,739 returns moving out of Missouri to another state, and 73,279 moving in, a net gain of 2,540 returns. A return approximates a household rather than a person. The same filings cover 117,887 individuals leaving and 126,617 arriving.
The states receiving the most Missouri households were Kansas (10,597 returns), Illinois (7,622 returns) and Texas (6,709 returns).
Arrivals came mainly from Kansas (12,138 returns), Illinois (8,668 returns) and Texas (5,785 returns). These figures count all filers who changed address, not only those who hired a moving company.
IRS SOI state-to-state outflow fileIRS SOI state-to-state inflow fileData as of tax filing years 2022 to 2023
Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services regulates household goods movers operating inside Missouri. Movers are licensed under RSMo section 390.051, with the workers compensation condition at RSMo section 390.054. The operating rules sit in 7 CSR 265-10, Motor Carrier Operations. Moves crossing the Missouri state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
Source: Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services
A mover doing work inside Missouri must hold the Intrastate Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority, issued as a certificate by the State Highways and Transportation Commission, issued by Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. The requirement sits in RSMo section 390.051, with the workers compensation condition at RSMo section 390.054. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Missouri intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
Missouri publishes a list of Authorized Household Goods Carriers through MoDOT Motor Carrier Services. Confirm a Missouri mover against that list, or by calling Motor Carrier Services on 1-866-831-6277. For a move leaving Missouri, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Verify by phone: 1-866-831-6277FMCSA SAFER
Missouri requires each mover to file its own rates rather than setting a ceiling. The mechanism is Household Goods Tariff Circular No. 1-2013, filed with the commission, so the rates are public and enforceable against the mover that filed them, but Missouri does not cap them. Rates on a move that leaves Missouri are not set by the state.
Source: Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services
Yes, as a condition of the licence. Since 28 August 2012 no certificate or permit to transport household goods in Missouri intrastate commerce may be issued or renewed unless the applicant shows workers compensation coverage for all employees. Where a Missouri household goods carrier is found out of compliance, the commission suspends its certificate until coverage is procured, so the coverage and the authority stand or fall together.
Yes. Every vehicle transporting household goods in Missouri intrastate commerce must be covered by a surety bond or a certificate of cargo insurance that is filed with and approved by the commission. The coverage is not merely held by the Missouri carrier: the filing is on record with the state, alongside an annual financial statement and an annual licence decal renewed for each power unit.
Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services publishes what applies to a company moving household goods in Missouri. Each of the following comes from the agency's own pages:
Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services moving companies pageMissouri consumer information for movers
Moves crossing a state line are authorised by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a USDOT number and interstate household goods operating authority. A Missouri state licence does not cover that work, and the federal record is the one to check: confirm the USDOT number is active and authorised for household goods before paying a deposit.
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-11
A move that leaves Missouri is an interstate move and falls under federal authority, so the company needs active operating authority for household goods rather than only a Missouri licence. A move that stays inside Missouri is different: it is regulated by Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services, and the company needs Intrastate Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority, issued as a certificate by the State Highways and Transportation Commission. Check which kind of move you are booking before you compare quotes, because the two are verified in different places.
Missouri publishes no lookup, so a licence is confirmed by calling Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services on 1-866-831-6277.
The out of state checklist sets out what changes when the move crosses a line, and the moving checklist sets out the weeks before it.
For a 1-bedroom apartment moving across town, a labor-only crew (you rent the truck, they load) is the cheapest option that still beats calling friends. In Missouri metros that runs about $255 to $540 for two movers over three to four hours.
Choose full service when the inventory is large, the access is bad, or the destination is out of state. The cost sits at two to three times labor-only and includes the truck, padding, and fuel that labor-only leaves to you.
The container route splits the difference. Providers such as PODS, U-Pack, and 1-800-PACK-RAT drop a unit at the curb. You load on your schedule, the company drives. On a Missouri interstate move the container route is usually cheaper than a full-service van line, because you are supplying the loading labor the carrier would otherwise charge for. Bestmovers.info holds no container rates, so price the provider quote for your own lane and dates. The catch is the delivery window, which is set by the provider rather than promised to you, and limited recourse for damage during loading, since you packed it.
These companies have a verified headquarters or documented company location in Missouri. Placement is based on documented location information, not a numeric ranking.
United Van Lines agent serving the St Louis and Kansas City corridors. Long history and steady performance in the Midwest.
Cord Moving & Storage is headquartered in Missouri according to its published company location.
Mayflower Transit is the second large UniGroup brand alongside United Van Lines and runs full-service interstate moves through an agent network under its own federal registration.
Mayflower Transit is headquartered in Missouri according to its published company location.
McGuire Moving & Storage, Inc. files from South Broadway in St Louis, Missouri, active on the federal census with household goods and general freight cargo entries, sixteen power units, eleven drivers, a current MCS-150 filing and docket MC-294315 on the registration. The filed contact email uses the company's own domain, so registrant and consumer-facing brand agree inside the federal data. The licensing record shows active common carrier authority with property and household goods checked; contract carrier and broker authority are not carried on this docket. The company is a Bekins Van Lines agent, and the USDOT and docket numbers printed in the company's own footer resolve to Bekins Van Lines Inc of Indianapolis. Those are the van line's identifiers, disclosed as such and never stored as McGuire numbers; that the company's own registration is not the one printed in the footer does not change the verified federal identity above. The Illinois Commerce Commission number the site publishes is a state identifier and is not recorded as a federal registration. No federal safety rating was located for this registration in the records reviewed, which is neither a positive nor a negative signal. The company states it has served St Louis since 1935.
McGuire Moving & Storage is headquartered in Missouri according to its published company location.
United Van Lines is the largest brand under UniGroup and publishes the annual National Movers Study. It offers shipment tracking and a published claims process; we hold no dataset that compares its claims outcomes with other carriers.
United Van Lines is headquartered in Missouri according to its published company location.
These companies publish broad nationwide moving service and are shown separately from companies based in Missouri.
American Van Lines states first-party that it staffs moves with W2 employees rather than day labour. It requires a deposit to hold a move date, so ask what portion is refundable and by when before you pay it. We publish no BBB grade and hold no complaint dataset, so nothing here rates the company's service.
American Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
One of the oldest moving brands in the US, Bekins runs an agent-affiliate model similar to Allied, with interstate shipments booked under the Bekins registration and performed by affiliated agents.
Bekins Moving Solutions publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Budd Van Lines Inc is an independent nationwide carrier rather than an agent of a national van line, which is rare at this size: the federal census records 124 power units and 102 drivers filed from Somerset, New Jersey. Because the company holds its own active common and contract authority with household goods on the licensing record and no broker authority, the entity you contract with is the entity that hauls the shipment. The company's own history pages date the business to 1975.
Budd Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
North American Van Lines is part of SIRVA and moves interstate household goods through an agent-affiliate network. The federal registration shown here belongs to the van line, not to the local agent that loads the truck.
North American Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Wheaton World Wide Moving shares a parent company with Bekins and moves interstate household goods through an agent network under its own federal registration.
Wheaton World Wide Moving publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Eight weeks out: get three written quotes. Two should be in-home or video surveys. One online quote is fine for comparison only — it will rarely be the binding number.
Six weeks out: book the carrier. Ask for binding-not-to-exceed pricing in writing. Confirm valuation coverage (released vs. full-value protection — there is a real difference if a TV gets dropped).
Four weeks out: order packing supplies if you're self-packing. Boxes go on sale at U-Haul and Home Depot in late winter and late summer.
Two weeks out: confirm parking, building COIs, and elevator reservations at both ends. Missouri buildings vary wildly here — some need 72 hours notice, some 30 days.
One week out: pack a personal essentials box (medications, chargers, three days of clothes, toilet paper, coffee, scissors, the lease/closing folder) and keep it with you, not on the truck.
Move day: walk the truck before driver pulls away. Sign the Bill of Lading only after the inventory list matches. First week in the new place, file any damage claim within nine months — that's the federal interstate window.
Missouri pricing varies city by city. Downtown cores with high-rise residential typically run 10–20% above the state median because of COI requirements, freight elevator wait time, and tighter parking. Suburban single-family moves usually land near the median. Rural pickups outside metro service areas often add a per-mile travel fee from the nearest depot.
Intrastate household-goods movers in Missouri are licensed by the Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services. A mover operating inside Missouri must hold Intrastate Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority, issued as a certificate by the State Highways and Transportation Commission. The authorisation is a Intrastate Household Goods Carrier Operating Authority, issued as a certificate by the State Highways and Transportation Commission.
Missouri Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier ServicesResearched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Amanda Brooks · Last reviewed August 2026
How we evaluate moving companies: we verify federal registration and operating authority against FMCSA records, record carrier or broker classification, note state licensing where a state regulator publishes it, and state the limits of what we could source. No numeric score, star rating or ranked order is produced from those checks. Read full methodology