Ray County, Missouri

Ray County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 [United States census|2020 census], the population was 23,158. Its county seat is Richmond. The county was organized November 16, 1820, and named for John Ray, a Missouri state legislator and member of the first state Constitutional Convention.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area

Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,158. The median age was 42.3 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.3 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% White, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 6.0% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 2.5% of the population.
25.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 74.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 9,081 households in the county, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 9,842 housing units, of which 7.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.1% were owner-occupied and 22.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 1980	Pop 1990	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone	20,864	21,410	22,384	22,338	20,893	97.60%	97.45%	95.85%	95.08%	90.22%
Black or African American alone	313	296	340	265	227	1.46%	1.35%	1.46%	1.13%	0.98%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	60	109	80	114	133	0.28%	0.50%	0.34%	0.49%	0.57%
Asian alone	43	33	43	60	76	0.20%	0.15%	0.18%	0.26%	0.33%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone	x	x	1	15	8	x	x	0.00%	0.06%	0.03%
Race and ethnicity in [the United States census\|Other race] alone	4	4	13	3	53	0.02%	0.02%	0.06%	0.01%	0.23%
Mixed race or Multiracial	x	x	240	284	1,188	x	x	1.03%	1.21%	5.13%
Hispanic or Latino	94	119	253	415	580	0.44%	0.54%	1.08%	1.77%	2.50%
Total	21,378	21,971	23,354	23,494	23,158	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 23,354 people, 8,743 households, and 6,539 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 9,371 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.50% White, 1.46% Black or American (U.S. Census)|African American], 0.36% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Approximately 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.6% were of American, 23.3% German, 11.5% English and 10.3% Irish ancestry.
There were 8,743 households, out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.10% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.20% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.50% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,886, and the median income for a family was $49,192. Males had a median income of $36,815 versus $21,684 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,685. About 5.30% of families and 6.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.00% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School districts including any part of the county, no matter how slight, include:

Public schools

Hardin-Central C-2 School District – Hardin
*Hardin-Central Elementary School
*Hardin-Central High School
Lawson R-XIV School District – Lawson
*Southwest Elementary School
*Lawson Middle School
*Lawson High School
Orrick R-XI School District – Orrick
*Orrick Elementary School
*Orrick High School
Richmond R-XVI School District – Richmond
*Dear Elementary School
*Sunrise Elementary School
*Richmond Middle School
*Richmond High School

Public libraries

Ray County Library

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

Camden
Crooked River
Fishing River
Grape [Grove Township, Ray County, Missouri|Grape Grove]
Knoxville
Orrick
Polk
Richmond

Notable people

Robert Ford, outlaw, killer of Jesse James
Chad Kilgore, football player
Forrest Smith, Missouri's 42nd Governor
Gordon Young, cowboy, journalist, novelist

Law, government and politics

Government

On January 1, 2025, the Ray County Jail was closed after newly elected Sheriff Gary Blackwell, due to "safety and security concerns." Inmates where sent to facilities in neighboring Harrison and Lafayette counties, as well as the Daviess-Dekalb Regional Jail.

Politics

Local

Politics at the local level in Ray County are now evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, with Republicans making major gains in the past four election cycles, going from no representation before 2011 to now holding half of the county offices.

State

The northwest corner of Ray County is a part of Missouri's 8th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Jim Neely.
Most of Ray County is a part of Missouri's 39th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Joe Don McGaugh.
All of Ray County is a part of Missouri's 21st District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Denny Hoskins.

Federal

All of Ray County is included in Missouri's 5th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Emanuel Cleaver in the United States House of Representatives.