Ray County, Missouri Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Ray County, MO Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 91% of counties in Missouri
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 70% of counties in Missouri
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 23,145 | 6,186,340 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 40.3 | 88.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.11% | 0.28% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.0 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,116 | 2,507,647 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Ray County declined by 1.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 23,145 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Ray County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.1% of residents. That is 2.4 points above Missouri as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,456 19.3% -1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,432 19.1% -2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,108 22.1% +2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,520 19.5% +1.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Missouri, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.3% of the people living in Ray County and men 50.7%.
- Women 49.3% Missouri 50.7%
- Men 50.7% Missouri 49.3%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Ray County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Ray County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,607 | $70,801 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.13% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 4.0% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Ray County is about 5% higher than in Missouri.
Housing
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $23,721 | $145,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $781 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.3% | 68.1% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Ray County is about 2.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $781 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Ray County spend about 64 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 268 hours, about 11.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.2 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 64.4 | 41.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 268 | 175 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,316 | $5,415 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.6% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,042 | 7,545 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 821 | 923 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Missouri:
Saline County (11.9 min), Adair County (12.0 min), Nodaway County (12.1 min).
Slowest:
Bollinger County (33.1 min), Ray County (32.2 min), Maries County (31.9 min).
The average commute time in Ray County is 32 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Missouri.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Ray County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.2% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.51 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Louis County (0.4), Platte County (0.4), Boone County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bollinger County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Ripley County (0.2).
Health
Ray County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Ray County | Missouri Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 76.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.7% | 19.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.9% | 22.8% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Missouri:
St. Charles County (0.8), Platte County (0.8), Boone County (0.8).
Lowest:
Scotland County (0.7), Ripley County (0.7), Pemiscot County (0.8).
Ray County, MO Compared With Nearby Counties
Ray County, MO is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 23,145 residents against a local median of 33,096. The measure that sets Ray County, MO apart most is median home price: $23,721, 84% below the local median of $150,171.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 32.2 min against a local median of 23.2 min, 39% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 39% above the local median it puts Ray County, MO at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $156,945 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 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray County, MO | 23,145 | $74,607 #3/4 | $23,721 #4/4 | 32.2 min #4/4 |
| Lafayette County, MO | 33,096 | $80,512 | $150,171 | 23.2 min |
| Clay County, MO | 258,122 | $87,903 | $218,653 | 21.0 min |
| Clinton County, MO | 21,414 | $71,052 | $61,709 | 27.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ray County, Missouri.
How many people live in Ray County, Missouri?
About 23,145 people live in Ray County, Missouri, in 9,116 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 43.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Ray County, Missouri?
Averaged over its land area, Ray County, Missouri has 40 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 47% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Ray County, Missouri?
The median home costs 0.3 times the median household income ($23,721 against $74,607), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $781 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Ray County, Missouri?
Unemployment in Ray County, Missouri is only 3.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Ray County, Missouri?
14.2% of adults in Ray County, Missouri hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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