Official Federal Data
Ray County, Missouri
FIPS 29177 · Kansas City, MO-KS · Population 23,145
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$74,573 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.2% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$651M ▲
GDP
16.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$74,573 ▲
Per Capita
$38,510 ▲
Mean Household
$92,339 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.6% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Ray County$74,573
Missouri$70,702
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.8%
18-34 · 18.6%
35-54 · 24%
55-64 · 15.3%
65+ · 19.3%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
89.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +0.1 pts
16.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 19.5 pts
4.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 9.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
23,145
Population
11,233
Labor Force
Employed
10,844
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.2% ▲ +0.5 pts YoY
Mean Commute 8 min above national avg
34.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.6%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 19.5 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 42 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 582 workers (26.4% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $31,381.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $651M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $76,534 while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation averages $16,534, a 4.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
422
Cluster Employment
3.93x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
General Merchandise Retailers
3.93x 329
Crop Production
3.43x 47
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
3.43x 93
Animal Production and Aquaculture
3.00x 21
Chemical Manufacturing
2.68x 62
Repair and Maintenance
1.64x 62
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.39x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
108 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: General Merchandise Retailers concentrates at 3.93x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 6 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 6 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$198,800 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$782 ▲
Rent/Mo
77.3% ▼
Owner-Occ
8.2% ▼
Vacancy
2.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,095/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,197/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,358/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,769/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,103/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,864/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 77.3% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,864/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
13,406 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 8 min above national avg
34.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
79%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
16.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
89.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
31,975/yr
9,503/yr
6,224/yr
5,730/yr
3,677/yr
3,445/yr
3,396/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
26.5%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
28.2%
Service
13.1%
Sales & Office
21.7%
Construction / Maint.
12.2%
Production / Transport
24.8%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 10,844 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 26.5% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,457 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Ray County shows meaningful potential for general merchandise retailers attraction, with a 3.93x concentration and 329 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.5% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across general merchandise retailers, crop production, and gasoline stations and fuel dealers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Ray County, Missouri, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Ray County, Missouri?
23,145 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Ray County, Missouri?
$74,573 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Ray County, Missouri?
4.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Ray County, Missouri?
$651M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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