These 2 Northland cities grew by more than 20% in recent years: new census data
Over the past five years, communities across the Northland have grown significantly as new developments continue to expand, businesses open up and families flock to the area for the school districts, causing populations in two cities to jump by over 20%.
The latest census data shows nearly every municipality in Clay and Platte counties has grown in population since 2020, some by only 1%, while others increased by upwards of 14%.
Both Parkville and North Kansas City saw the highest rates of growth over five years, with populations rising by 22% and 23%, respectively — increases local officials attribute to new developments, businesses moving up north and the attractiveness of the local school districts.
“The growth has been very intentional,” said Jesse Smith, mayor of North Kansas City.
In North Kansas City, where the population increased from 4,569 people in 2020 to 5,613 in 2025, there has been a small influx of new businesses moving to the area in recent years, including McLain’s Market, Chicken N Pickle and Cinder Block Brewery.
Businesses, along with developers, Smith believes, are attracted to North Kansas City because of its optimal location “surrounded fully by Kansas City,” and for the city’s straightforward approval processes for things like building permits.
“For businesses and builders, in particular developers, getting something through in Kansas City is really onerous, and in Northtown, we can be more bespoke,” he said.
Smith also pointed to the ongoing One North redevelopment area near the intersection of Interstate 29 and Armour Road as another theory behind the boost in population. The 64-acre project features a variety of office, retail, restaurant, hospitality and residential developments.
In terms of housing, city officials have been prioritizing infill development by adding more dense housing, like the Oxbow apartment complex, to meet the growing demand due to the lack of open green space available in North Kansas City, Smith said.
Additionally, the North Kansas City School District, which spans across the Northland, has continued to grow, jumping by nearly 500 students since 2020 districtwide. North Kansas City High School, which is located within city limits, grew by 120 students over the past five years.
“There’s a lot of good momentum,” he said. “It’s a cool place to be.”
In Parkville, where the population increased from 7,461 people in 2020 to 9,093 in 2025, Mayor Dean Katerndahl said the 22% growth is likely due to the Park Hill School District, ongoing and completed development projects and the city’s “small town charm.”
“We think we have a real attractive community where we have that small town charm,” Katerndahl said. “So I think those are all factors.”
Housing developments in Parkville, such as the Riss Lake neighborhood, The National, Thousand Oaks and Creekside Village have played a big role in attracting people to the area, Katerndahl said.
And a local developer plans to expand Parkville even more by building 84 single family homes, 57 duplexes and 16 triplexes on the plot of land located just west of Creekside Village, totalling 246 residential units on 157 lots.
While Park Hill’s enrollment has plateaued in recent years, the district has grown by around 2,500 students since 2000. During the 2025-26 school year, enrollment fell at 11,464 students, a 2% decrease from 2020.
Still, Parkville has been among the fastest growing cities in the metro for several years, according to Katerndahl.
“We haven’t really seen a slowdown,” Katerndahl said. “I think we’re doing a good job of managing it. We’re trying to keep that small town charm while we still grow.”
Kansas City as a whole saw an increase of more than 13,000 people since 2020, or about 2.58%.
In Clay County, Liberty has grown about 3.7%, going from 30,210 people in 2020 to 31,319 in 2025. The population in Gladstone rose from 27,099 people to 27,497 over five years for a 1.5% increase. And Kearney has grown nearly 8% since 2020, reaching 11,296 in 2025.
Riverside grew from 4,014 people in 2020 to 4,581 in 2025 — about a 14.1% increase. Smithville went from 10,482 people in 2020 to 11,160 in 2025, or about a 6.5% rise. Platte City grew about 2.8%, from 4,779 people to 4,911 in five years. Weston grew about 5.5%, from 1,758 people to 1,855.
Even Prathersville north of the metro saw a 23% increase, growing from 119 people to 147 in five years.
