Ray County, MO jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meRay County economy
2.9%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.2% the month before
11,722
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
23,149
people in Ray County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$72,152
median household income
Source: Census ACS
28%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Ray County outlook: Steady
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs down 1.0% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 1.1% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 2.9%, down 0.3 points from a year ago
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Ray County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- Children’s Mercy is making more money and growing. So why is it cutting jobs?The Beacon on MSN · Nov 9, 2026
- Conagra closing plant in Macon, Missouri; 442 jobs lostKSHB 41 Kansas City · Nov 9, 2026
- Children’s Mercy WARN Act Investigationstraussborrelli.com · Nov 6, 2026
- Children's Mercy Layoffs Spark Concern For Kansas City ParentsTony's Kansas City · Nov 2, 2026
- Stay in school, brave college students. AI may loom, but you still have value | OpinionThe Kansas City Star on MSN · Oct 7, 2026
Learn and get funded in Ray County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Ray County layoffs
No layoff notices naming Ray County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Ray County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Missouri? How to file for unemployment in Missouri (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
- Kansas City Region Workforce Investment Board
Cass, Clay, Platte, Ray; City: Kansas City
Other Missouri counties
Laid off or looking for work in Ray County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Missouri’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Missouri unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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