Cover	12 Months Ended
Cover	Dec. 31, 2023
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	DEF 14A
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	Commerce Bancshares, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000022356

Pay vs Performance Disclosure - USD ($)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Dec. 31, 2022

Dec. 31, 2021

Dec. 31, 2020

Pay vs Performance Disclosure

Pay vs Performance Disclosure, Table

The following table summarizes the total compensation paid to our NEOs versus the performance of the Company for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020. In determining the “compensation actually paid” (CAP) to our NEOs, we are required to make various adjustments, as summarized below, to amounts that have been previously reported in the Summary Compensation Table (SCT), as the SEC’s valuation methods for stock compensation in this section differ from the methods required to be utilized in the SCT. The table below summarizes compensation values both previously reported in our SCT, as well as the adjusted values required in this section for the 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020 calendar years, together with information concerning total shareholder return (“TSR”) and the Company’s reported Net Income, as well as an Actual Revenue measure (calculated as net interest income and non-interest income (including securities gains/losses)), which the Company believes represents its most important financial performance measure in evaluating pay-for-performance, other than TSR and Net Income, for the most recently completed fiscal year.


Year	SCT Total for John W. Kemper, CEO		Compensation Actually Paid to John W. Kemper, CEO (1)		Average SCT Total for Other NEOs (2)		Average Compensation Actually Paid to Other NEOs (1)(2)		Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On				Net Income (In thousands)		Company Selected Measure - Actual Revenue (4) (In thousands)
									Total Shareholder Return		Peer Group Total Shareholder Return (3)
2023	$	4,721,639	$	2,292,647	$	1,374,460	$	847,242	$	102.51	$	115.72	$	485,177	$	1,586,159
2022	5,316,890		5,621,498		1,579,538		1,656,782		121.89		116.18		500,020		1,509,226
2021	4,842,307		5,584,200		1,515,035		1,874,354		115.42		124.82		540,590		1,425,876
2020	3,662,396		3,524,001		1,413,242		1,249,382		103.49		91.34		353,885		1,346,746

____________________________________

(1) Compensation Actually Paid (CAP) amounts include total compensation per the Summary Compensation Table, less Grant Date Fair Value of Restricted Stock Awards (RSA) and SARs, less Change in Pension Value, plus service cost of the pension, plus the change in fair value of equity awards during the current year. For years 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020, there was no service cost for the Pre-2005 CERP and the Qualified pension plan as the benefits were frozen for all four years. A reconciliation of the CAP is shown in the table below:


Year	SCT Total		Deduct: Change in Pension Value		Deduct: SCT Value of Stock Awards		Add: Change in Value of Stock Awards during FY (a)		Deduct: SCT Value of Option Awards		Add: Change in Value of Option Awards during FY (a)		Add: Dividends on Restricted Stock		Compensation Actually Paid
John W. Kemper, CEO
2023	$	4,721,639	$	—	$	(2,065,228)	$	(27,601)	$	(537,490)	$	47,823	$	153,504	$	2,292,647





Average Other NEOs (2)
2023	$	1,374,460	$	(17,531)	$	(456,227)	$	(48,594)	$	—	$	(41,552)	$	36,686	$	847,242

_______________________________________

(a) Calculation includes the fair value (computed as of each applicable measurement date in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 in a manner consistent with the original calculation of fair value for grant date purposes) of restricted stock awards (both Long-Term Restricted Stock and Current Year Restricted Stock) in the case of the “Change in Value of Stock Awards” column, and SARs in the case of the “Change in Value of Option Awards” column, calculated starting with fair value as of year-end for awards granted during the applicable year, then (i) adding aggregate changes (positive or negative) in such fair value from the prior year-end to current year-end for awards granted in previous years that remained unvested at year-end; (ii) adding aggregate changes (positive or negative) in such fair value from the prior year-end to the vesting date for awards granted in prior years that vested during the applicable year and (iii) subtracting the aggregate fair value as of prior year end for any awards granted in prior years that are deemed to fail to meet applicable vesting conditions and expire during the year.

(2) NEOs included in the Average Calculations are:

2023: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, Kevin G. Barth, Robert S. Holmes and John K. Handy

2022: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, Kevin G. Barth, Robert S. Holmes and John K. Handy

2021: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, Kevin G. Barth, Robert S. Holmes and David W. Kemper

2020: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, David W. Kemper, Kevin G. Barth, and John K. Handy

(3) Peer Group Total Shareholder Return using the KBW NASDAQ Regional Banking Index

(4) Actual Revenue is selected as the most important performance measurement for the current year other than net income which is also presented in the table. Actual Revenue is calculated as net interest income and non-interest income (including securities gains/losses).

Company Selected Measure Name

Revenue

Named Executive Officers, Footnote

NEOs included in the Average Calculations are:

2023: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, Kevin G. Barth, Robert S. Holmes and John K. Handy

2022: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, Kevin G. Barth, Robert S. Holmes and John K. Handy

2021: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, Kevin G. Barth, Robert S. Holmes and David W. Kemper

2020: Messrs. Charles G. Kim, David W. Kemper, Kevin G. Barth, and John K. Handy

Peer Group Issuers, Footnote

Peer Group Total Shareholder Return using the KBW NASDAQ Regional Banking Index

PEO Total Compensation Amount

$ 4,721,639

$ 5,316,890

$ 4,842,307

$ 3,662,396

PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount

2,292,647

5,621,498

5,584,200

3,524,001

Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount

1,374,460

1,579,538

1,515,035

1,413,242

Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount

$ 847,242

1,656,782

1,874,354

1,249,382

Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return

The following charts demonstrate the relationship between actual compensation paid to John W. Kemper, the Company’s CEO, and average compensation paid to other NEOs and various performance measures of the Company for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

Total compensation for the CEO and other NEOs, as disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table, is comprised of salaries and equity awards based on Company performance factors from the prior year. The CAP calculation for each year includes changes in fair market value adjustments on vesting and outstanding equity awards during the year. The CAP adjustment fluctuates due to the market conditions for the Company stock and also reflects Company performance in each of the years.

Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income

Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure

Tabular List, Table

The following table lists the most important financial performance measures used by the Company to link compensation actually paid to our NEOs to the performance of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.


Most Important Performance Measures for 2023						Description
Net Income						GAAP Net Income compared to target
Pre-provision Net Revenue						Pre-provision Net Revenue is net interest income plus non-interest income minus non-interest expense (excluding securities gains/losses) compared to target
Actual Revenue						Revenue is net interest income and non-interest income (including securities gains/losses) compared to target
Actual Return on Equity						ROE compared to peers

In setting base salaries for the CEO and other NEOs, the Company considers market data comparisons to similar positions with peer banks in order to determine the appropriateness of the base salary levels. For cash bonuses and equity compensation awards, the Company considers Company's prior year performance measures including: actual net income as compared to target; actual pre-provision net revenue as compared to target; actual revenue as compared to target; and actual return on equity compared to peer banks. See the "Annual Cash Incentive Compensation" section of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis for further detail.

Total Shareholder Return Amount

$ 102.51

121.89

115.42

103.49

Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount

115.72

116.18

124.82

91.34

Net Income (Loss)

$ 485,177,000