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County · code 29177

Ray CountyMissouri

Ray County is a county in Missouri with its seat in Richmond. It was formed on January 1, 1821, from Howard County and named after John Ray.

  • Founded1821
  • County seatRichmond
  • Named forJohn Ray
  • Land area569 sq mi + 5.2 sq mi water
  • Population23,158 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped16,262 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Ray County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

CaldwellLafayetteClayClintonCarrollJackson Richmond Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Ray on the map of Missouri

Missouri has 115 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adair CountyAndrew CountyAtchison CountyAudrain CountyBarry CountyBarton CountyBates CountyBenton CountyBollinger CountyBoone CountyBuchanan CountyButler CountyCaldwell CountyCallaway CountyCamden CountyCape Girardeau CountyCarroll CountyCarter CountyCass CountyCedar CountyChariton CountyChristian CountyClark CountyClay CountyClinton CountyCole CountyCooper CountyCrawford CountyDade CountyDallas CountyDaviess CountyDeKalb CountyDent CountyDouglas CountyDunklin CountyFranklin CountyGasconade CountyGentry CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyHarrison CountyHenry CountyHickory CountyHolt CountyHoward CountyHowell CountyIron CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyKnox CountyLaclede CountyLafayette CountyLawrence CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyLinn CountyLivingston CountyMcDonald CountyMacon CountyMadison CountyMaries CountyMarion CountyMercer CountyMiller CountyMississippi CountyMoniteau CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMorgan CountyNew Madrid CountyNewton CountyNodaway CountyOregon CountyOsage CountyOzark CountyPemiscot CountyPerry CountyPettis CountyPhelps CountyPike CountyPlatte CountyPolk CountyPulaski CountyPutnam CountyRalls CountyRandolph CountyReynolds CountyRipley CountySt. Charles CountySt. Clair CountySte. Genevieve CountySt. Francois CountySt. Louis CountySaline CountySchuyler CountyScotland CountyScott CountyShannon CountyShelby CountyStoddard CountyStone CountySullivan CountyTaney CountyTexas CountyVernon CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWorth CountyWright CountySt. Louis cityRay County Ray
Counties of Missouri · Ray highlighted

History

Formed in 1821 from Howard County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Ray County was created from Howard County in 1821. The following year, Ray County lost territory to the creation of Clay County in 1822. Between 1825 and 1839, Ray County underwent several adjustments, including losing territory to the creation of Carroll County, Caldwell County, and Daviess County, and later gaining from Non-County Area 7.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1821
    Ray County created Ray created from Howard; Non-County Area 7 attached to Ray "for all legislative, judicial, and military purposes."
    from Howard
    · Mo. Laws 1820-1821, ch. 14, secs. 1-5/pp. 21-26
  2. 1822
    Lost territory Ray lost to creation of Clay and lost part of attached Non-County Area 7 to creation of Clay.
    to Clay
    · Mo. Laws 1821-1822, ch. 39, sec. 1/pp. 60-62
  3. 1825
    Lost territory Ray lost to Non-County Area 7 and lost part of attached Non-County Area 7 to Non-County Area 6. · Mo. Laws Rev., 1825, ch. 1, sec. 20/pp. 238-239
  4. 1833
    Lost territory Ray lost part of attached Non-County Area 7 to creation of Carroll and Non-County Area 18.
    to Carroll
    · Mo. Laws 1832-1833, pub., ch. 24, secs. 1, 5/pp. 46-47
  5. 1836
    Lost territory Ray lost part of Non-County Area 7 to creation of Caldwell and Daviess; remainder of Non-County Area 7 detached from Ray and attached to Daviess "for civil and military purposes."
    to Caldwellto Daviess
    · Mo. Laws 1836-1837, pub., pp. 46-47
  6. 1839
    Gained territory Ray gained from Non-County Area 7. · Mo. Laws 1838-1839, pub., p. 25

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Ray

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Ray by the Census

Population
23,158 2020 Census count
Housing units
9,842 2020 Census count
Land area
569 square miles
Water area
5.2 square miles
People per sq mi
41 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Ray County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

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Questions

Common questions about Ray County

When was Ray County founded?
Ray County was founded in 1821, formed from Howard County, and named after John Ray.
What is the county seat of Ray County?
The county seat of Ray County is Richmond.
Is there an online parcel map for Ray County?
Yes. Ray County publishes a parcel map of 16,262 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Ray County's boundary or name changed?
Ray County was created in 1821 from Howard County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Caldwell County, Carroll County and Clay County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Ray County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door