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Clay County’s dynamic and growing economy was evident in its increasingly noteworthy rank statewide, not just in metropolitan Kansas City. In the most recent full year of records, Clay County ranked fifth out of Missouri’s 114 counties and one independent city in terms of economic share. Clay County ranked behind only more populated regions such as St. Louis and nearby St. Charles, Jackson and Greene counties in an average of employment, population, and personal income.  Clay County is second in terms of the growth of its share of the state’s economy. Between 1994 and 2004, Clay County gained a bigger slice of the state’s economic pie than any county in the state except for St. Charles, outstripping even Christian County near Branson and Springfield, and Kansas City’s Jackson County. The nature of this growth is also significant. Clay County ranked sixth in the state in terms of new businesses and in 2005, Clay County’s new and expanding businesses represented $1.8 billion in growth. This development increased employment from 84,699 to 87,263, bringing more than 2,500 new jobs. The future looked even better with projections calling for an average of more than 3,000 new jobs each year. Significantly, job growth in Clay County included a predominance of quality employment. The area’s average hourly wage of $17.56 and $36,535 in annual pay was fourth in the state. Equally important, Clay County growth was widespread, in terms of markets and geography. The region’s commercial growth is active in several locations, from the area’s leading Highway 152 corridor to major redevelopment on Chouteau Trafficway. Although the largest industrial concentration was in southern Clay County, successful development areas were also growing from Liberty to Kearney, Excelsior Springs to Smithville. Leading industries ranged from the Ford Claycomo plant to the hugely successful medical software company, Cerner Corporation. Though slightly more focused, residential growth is also widespread in Clay County. Rural communities such as Kearney continued some of the fastest growth in Missouri while the county’s oldest neighborhoods witnessed significant redevelopment. |
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