• county
  • FIPS 29177
  • Largest town: Richmond

Ray County, Missouri

Ray County had 23,199 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 569.0 square miles of land. It ranks 49th of 115 in Missouri by population and 60th by land area.

Population
23,199
#49 of 115 in Missouri · #1,677 in US
Area
569.0 sq mi
#60 of 115 in Missouri · #1,791 in US
Density
41 / sq mi
#46 of 115 in Missouri · #1,659 in US
Median household income
$70,993
#16 of 115 in Missouri · #932 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Ray County within Missouri. Pin: Jefferson City.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Ray County

Ray County population, land area and income

Ray County had 23,199 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 569.0 square miles of land. It ranks 49th of 115 in Missouri by population and 60th by land area. That works out to 40.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Missouri has 19,100 residents; Ray County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $70,993 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

23,199

3144th1st

1677th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

569 sq mi

3144th1st

1791st of 3,144 (US)

Density

40.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

1659th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$70,993

3143rd1st

932nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Missouri (115)

Population

23,199

115th1st

49th of 115 (MO)

Land area

569 sq mi

115th1st

60th of 115 (MO)

Density

40.8 / sq mi

115th1st

46th of 115 (MO)

Median household income

$70,993

115th1st

16th of 115 (MO)

How Ray County's population changed since 2020

Ray County gained 64 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.3%. That ranks 77th of 115 in Missouri for growth. The median Missouri county changed by +1.4%, and the state as a whole by +1.5%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Ray County recorded 1,068 births and 1,449 deaths, a natural change of -381. Net international migration added -5 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +416. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 416 people.

23.1k202023.1k202123.1k202223.2k202323.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,068
Deaths
1,449
Net international migration
-5
Net domestic migration
+416
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+21

Where Ray County is

The Census internal point of Ray County is at 39.308400, -93.995700. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Missouri's 115 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Ray County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Pettis County: +1.8%Henry County: +2.7%Texas County: +5.7%Madison County: +1.8%St. Louis city: -6.9%Cole County: +1.3%Washington County: +0.6%Macon County: -0.1%Barton County: +0.8%Grundy County: +0.1%Cedar County: +5.7%Randolph County: -1.6%Ray County: +0.3%Caldwell County: +2.0%Benton County: +6.1%Douglas County: +5.9%Shannon County: +3.4%Dade County: +0.5%Wright County: +7.1%Gentry County: +2.6%Lawrence County: +3.0%Cooper County: +2.9%Hickory County: +5.6%Moniteau County: +0.5%Dent County: +2.3%Monroe County: +2.3%Maries County: +0.7%Bollinger County: +0.5%Clinton County: +2.4%Knox County: +0.0%Webster County: +7.8%Harrison County: +0.4%Pulaski County: -0.1%Adair County: +1.5%Warren County: +7.7%Daviess County: +1.3%Audrain County: -1.9%Howard County: -0.1%Linn County: +0.4%Saline County: -0.1%Miller County: +3.6%Dallas County: +4.3%Morgan County: +6.7%New Madrid County: -6.8%Newton County: +4.8%Oregon County: +1.0%Franklin County: +2.3%Greene County: +2.9%Ralls County: +1.4%Lafayette County: +1.4%Livingston County: +4.8%McDonald County: +3.3%Barry County: +3.1%Cape Girardeau County: +2.2%Carroll County: -0.6%Christian County: +7.6%Vernon County: +0.6%Carter County: +3.0%Andrew County: -0.1%Jasper County: +2.9%Worth County: -4.9%Lincoln County: +10.1%Marion County: -0.2%Holt County: +1.2%Howell County: +2.4%St. Francois County: +1.6%Chariton County: +0.1%Butler County: -0.6%Iron County: -1.0%Perry County: +0.7%Cass County: +5.3%St. Louis County: -1.0%Dunklin County: -4.3%Wayne County: -1.1%Ozark County: +6.7%Laclede County: +1.9%Reynolds County: -2.5%Lewis County: -1.9%Taney County: +1.2%Ripley County: +0.4%Ste. Genevieve County: +0.4%Scotland County: -0.1%Putnam County: -3.1%Schuyler County: +1.5%Shelby County: -2.8%Boone County: +4.4%Mercer County: -1.7%Platte County: +5.6%Camden County: +3.1%Bates County: +2.1%Johnson County: +3.4%Sullivan County: -3.8%Atchison County: -3.1%Scott County: -0.2%Montgomery County: +2.0%Jefferson County: +2.2%Clark County: -0.5%Callaway County: +1.8%St. Clair County: +5.4%Buchanan County: -1.1%Pemiscot County: -7.6%Polk County: +4.6%Phelps County: +2.5%Stone County: +4.6%Osage County: +1.7%Clay County: +3.6%Nodaway County: -2.4%Crawford County: -1.0%Jackson County: +1.4%St. Charles County: +4.3%Mississippi County: -3.1%Pike County: +3.1%Stoddard County: -0.7%Gasconade County: -0.7%DeKalb County: -14.8%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -0.7%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +2.0%
  4. < +3.6%
  5. ≥ +3.6%
no data

Orange pin: Ray County internal point. Dark pin: Jefferson City.

Internal point

Decimal
39.308400, -93.995700
DMS
39°18'30.24"N 93°59'44.52"W
UTM
15N 414155.3E 4351473.5N
Geohash
9yvpt5fkj
Plus code
86F88253+9P

Towns in Ray County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Ray County, 8,492 people together, or 37% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Ray County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Richmond with 5,939.

  1. 01Richmond5,939
  2. 02Lawson (part)2,364
  3. 03Excelsior Springs (part)189
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Ray County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Ray County. The most populous is Jackson County, MO, with 727,362 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Jefferson City and the nearest big city

Jefferson City is 110.2 miles ESE of Ray County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Independence, MO (population 121,629), 24.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Excelsior Springs, MO (population 10,727), 13.3 miles away.

Ray County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Ray County is 29177: state code 29 for Missouri plus county code 177. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $70,993.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Ray County, Missouri?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 23,199. That is up 64 people (0.3%) from the July 2020 estimate of 23,135.

What is the FIPS code of Ray County?

29177. The first two digits (29) are Missouri; the last three (177) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Ray County?

Richmond, with 5,939 residents inside Ray County in 2024.

Which counties border Ray County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Jackson County, MO; Clay County, MO; Lafayette County, MO; Clinton County, MO; Caldwell County, MO; Carroll County, MO.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.