Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area
The Kansas City, MO-KS metro area is made up of 14 counties in Missouri and Kansas; the largest are Jackson County, Johnson County, and Clay County. About 2,270,682 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 3.6% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 2,270,682 3.6% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 14: 6 central, 8 outlying
- Land area
- 7,257 sq mi (18,794 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- Combined statistical area
- Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS
- CBSA code
- 28140
Counties in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson CountyMissouri | Central | 732,994 | 32.3% |
| Johnson CountyKansas | Central | 636,906 | 28.0% |
| Clay CountyMissouri | Central | 265,032 | 11.7% |
| Wyandotte CountyKansas | Central | 170,597 | 7.5% |
| Cass CountyMissouri | Central | 115,859 | 5.1% |
| Platte CountyMissouri | Central | 114,400 | 5.0% |
| Leavenworth CountyKansas | Outlying | 84,590 | 3.7% |
| Miami CountyKansas | Outlying | 36,240 | 1.6% |
| Lafayette CountyMissouri | Outlying | 33,531 | 1.5% |
| Ray CountyMissouri | Outlying | 23,398 | 1.0% |
| Clinton CountyMissouri | Outlying | 21,661 | 1.0% |
| Bates CountyMissouri | Outlying | 16,512 | 0.7% |
| Linn CountyKansas | Outlying | 9,950 | 0.4% |
| Caldwell CountyMissouri | Outlying | 9,012 | 0.4% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central counties, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal cities, largest first
- Kansas City510,612 people
- Overland Park200,306 people
- Kansas City155,135 people
- Lenexa58,384 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 5 areas in this one, largest first:
- Lawrence, KS Metro Area120,920 people
- St. Joseph, MO-KS Metro Area119,170 people
- Warrensburg, MO Micro Area56,670 people
- Ottawa, KS Micro Area26,299 people
- Atchison, KS Micro Area16,172 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Lawrence, KS Metro Area40 mi west
- Atchison, KS Micro Area44 mi northwest
- St. Joseph, MO-KS Metro Area46 mi north
- Warrensburg, MO Micro Area51 mi southeast
- Ottawa, KS Micro Area53 mi southwest
- Topeka, KS Metro Area62 mi west
- Marshall, MO Micro Area72 mi east
- Sedalia, MO Micro Area76 mi east
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.