Populations of these Jackson County cities are shrinking. What census data shows
While Kansas City continues to expand, attracting thousands of new residents, population growth and decline across the rest of Jackson County has been an extremely mixed bag over the past several years.
The U.S. Census Bureau released its five-year population change data this month, tracking expansion and decay across every town and city in the county. Kansas City itself has slipped one place down the ranking by city size since 2020, the census found. But it continues to grow in population, accruing more than 13,000 new residents in the five years since the last census.
And while towns in Clay, Platte and Johnson Counties have seen steady — if limited — growth, the bureau found, population figures in eastern Jackson County have been somewhat more scattershot.
The bureau found a trend of growth in the furthest reaches of the county. Meanwhile, Independence — Jackson County’s largest suburb — was one of the only places in the metro to experience a population drop.
Independence’s population on the decline
According to the bureau’s report, Independence lost about 1% of its population between 2020 and 2025.
About 1,200 fewer people lived in the city in 2025 than five years prior, representing a decline from 122,866 people in 2020 to 121,675 in 2025.
During the recent mayoral election cycle in Independence, local leaders and candidates spoke on the importance of continuing to attract young families to the city as many longtime residents begin to age out of homeownership.
While on the campaign trail, newly elected Mayor Kevin King called out the city for “shrinking” and pledged to recommit to senior services, but also to ensure that historic homes and businesses receive the municipal support needed to attract new owners and residents in the next several years.
King noted that Independence is at risk of losing small businesses to nearby Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs, and that revitalizing the city’s downtown will be a crucial step in maintaining the appeal of nearby residential areas.
“We need to get these building owners to come together and say, ‘Yes, I want to help grow this city,’” King previously told The Star.
The city’s budget, similarly, maintains a focus on social services geared toward older residents. Some hope that incoming dollars associated with fees paid by Nebius, the company behind a $150 billion hyperscale data center under construction, will support the city’s growth by bolstering the two-district school system active in Independence.
A series of public budget hearings will take place across the next two weeks as the city plans for its next four years of fiscal priorities, geared toward resident retention.
Raytown’s population also saw a slight drop during the last census period, falling by about 2.3% from 29,838 in 2020 to 29,154 in 2025.
Growth in Jackson County’s southern, eastern cities
Smaller cities in the far east portion of the county saw steady growth over the last five years, according to the census report. The population in Grain Valley grew 7.9% to 16,908 people, while Oak Grove grew 14.4% to 9,370 people, according to the estimates.
Meanwhile, the areas south of the Kansas City metro also continued to grow, with Blue Springs’ population rising 4.9% to 61,632 in 2025. Lee’s Summit saw the most growth in the past five years, swelling by 5.9% to 107,514 in 2025.
Grandview also saw some growth, expanding by 0.45% in five years to reach 26,653 people in 2025.
