Ray County
Ray County is a
county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was
23,354. Its county seat is Richmond. The county was organized in 1820 and named
for John Ray, Missouri state legislator.
Ray County is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
Cities in this county include: Camden, Elmira, Hardin, Henrietta, Lawson, Orrick, Rayville, and Richmond.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,486 km˛ (574 mi˛). 1,475 km˛ (569 mi˛) of it is land and 11 km˛ (4 mi˛) of it (0.72%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,354 people, 8,743 households, and 6,539 families residing in the county. The population density was 16/km˛ (41/mi˛). There were 9,371 housing units at an average density of 6/km˛ (16/mi˛). The racial makeup of the county was 96.50% White, 1.46% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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.