Ray County, Missouri Housing Market Prices
Ray County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
-
Median home price 84% below the Missouri median Among the top 5 cheapest counties in Missouri$23,721
-
Median rent 24% below the Missouri median$781
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $23,721 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 10.1% | 5.2% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $781 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 1.3% | 4.0% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Ray County is about 84% lower than in Missouri. Rent is about 24% lower than the Missouri average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in Ray County, up about 10.1% and 1.3% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Ray County rose about 7.4% between 2015 and 2024, from $727 to $781. Over the same span, rent in Missouri rose about 38.6%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 0.3 yearly household incomes in Ray County.
Buying the median-priced home in Ray County costs roughly 2.5 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Ray County. The price-to-rent ratio in Missouri is about 11.7.
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $23,721 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $74,607 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 0.3 | 2.1 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Ray County fell about 52.0%, while median household income rose about 40.4% between 2009 and 2025 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 70.9% | 60.5% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 20.9% | 28.3% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 8.2% | 11.2% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 17.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2009 | 2011 | 2011 |
Ray County has a homeownership rate of 70.9%, higher than the Missouri average of 60.5%. Its housing vacancy rate is 8.2%, compared with 11.2% in Missouri.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.51 people | 2.40 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1972 | 1978 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Ray County was built around 1972. On average, 2.5 people live in a home with about 5.9 rooms, staying for about 17.0 years on average.
Ray County, MO Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Ray County, MO is the 3rd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 23,145 residents against a local median of 27,255. The measure that sets Ray County, MO apart most is median home price: $23,721, 78% below the local median of $105,940.
Median rent tells the same story from another angle: $781 against a local median of $968, 19% below it. The counties themselves spread $172,054 on median home price, so Ray County, MO sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ray County, MO has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray County, MO | 23,145 | $23,721 #5/5 | $781 #4/5 | 77.3% #2/5 |
| Caldwell County, MO | 8,927 | $46,599 | $639 | 78.2% |
| Lafayette County, MO | 33,096 | $150,171 | $928 | 75.7% |
| Clay County, MO | 258,122 | $218,653 | $1,242 | 69.5% |
| Clinton County, MO | 21,414 | $61,709 | $1,008 | 75.7% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Ray County, Missouri.
What is the median home price in Ray County, Missouri?
The median home price in Ray County, Missouri is $23,721, lower than the Missouri average of $145,462.
What is the average home price in Ray County, Missouri?
The typical home price in Ray County, Missouri, reported as the median sale price, is $23,721. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Ray County, Missouri?
The median gross rent in Ray County, Missouri is $781 per month, lower than the Missouri average of $1,033.
What was the median gross rent in Ray County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Ray County, Missouri was $725 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Ray County, Missouri?
The price-to-rent ratio in Ray County, Missouri is about 2.5, meaning it would take roughly 2.5 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Ray County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Ray County, Missouri?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Ray County, up about 10.1% and 1.3% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Ray County, Missouri?
70.9% of households in Ray County, Missouri own their home, higher than the Missouri average of 60.5%.
What is the vacancy rate in Ray County, Missouri?
The housing vacancy rate in Ray County, Missouri is 8.2%, lower than the Missouri average of 11.2%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →