Gladstone, Missouri
Area Profile
27,207 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Gladstone, in Clay County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 16 sourcesGladstone ranks in the top 15% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.5% and median household income of $79,271.
In the public schools here, 50% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.6 students for every teacher. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Clay County, MO, which contains Gladstone, rather than for Gladstone alone.
2 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, essentially level with the prior year — steady rather than turning.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 3.5%, lower than in 81% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment grew 0.6% over the past year, to 14,362 employed residents.
32% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 72% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsClay County, MO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $61,110 | 30th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftClay County, MO’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $64,961 | 34th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$5,8642024 ACS 5-Year | $79,271 | Top 34%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$3,4942024 ACS 5-Year | $43,839 | Top 25%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.4% | Bottom 47%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.5 min | Top 38%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.7% | Top 28%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.6% | 44th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 14,362 | Bottom 12%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | +2.0% | Top 20%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | +0.6% | Top 23%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 14,883 | 11th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 82.1% | Top 35%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageKansas City, MO-KS Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $66,550 | Bottom 41%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageKansas City, MO-KS Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $50,820 | Bottom 47%of 3,729 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.1% | 74th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | −1.0% | Top 12%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 3.5% | Top 19%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 14.7% | 75th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Kansas City, MO-KS
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 31,080 | $90,490 |
| Registered Nurses | 29,650 | $83,040 |
| Retail Salespersons | 26,110 | $34,320 |
| Cashiers | 24,160 | $30,700 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 23,580 | $36,850 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 22,240 | $44,350 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
50% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 57% in reading, across the schools here that reported results. Math proficiency and 1 other measure here are published for Clay County, MO, which contains Gladstone, rather than for Gladstone alone.
There are 14.6 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places. The student-teacher ratio is published for Clay County, MO, which contains Gladstone, rather than for Gladstone alone.
The proficiency and staffing figures above are for Clay County, MO: too few schools in Gladstone reported a usable figure on their own to weight one honestly.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Missouri’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 7% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 93.2, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area is up 42% over five years, and up 3.2% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,477 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.07% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,420, some 31% above the $1,088 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,420 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $56,800 a year, about 72% of the median household income here of $79,271.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,088 a month.
A median home at $231,500 costs 2.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $94,076, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 7% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against Gladstone’s median household income of $79,271, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area’s figure2023 | 93.2 | Top 19%of 3,700 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +3.2% | 50th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +42.4% | 48th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +107.0% | 72nd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 2.5 | Top 49%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 68.4% | 35th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±4222024 ACS 5-Year | 12,476 | 95th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $1,250 | Top 41%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,850 | Top 36%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,420 | Top 36%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$692024 ACS 5-Year | $1,088 | Bottom 40%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$9,8042024 ACS 5-Year | $231,500 | 61st percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1002024 ACS 5-Year | $2,477 | 65th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,8782024 ACS 5-Year | $94,076 | Top 32%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.06%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.07% | 56th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 27.6% | Top 46%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±232024 ACS 5-Year | 0 | 1st percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.7% | 43rd percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2392024 ACS 5-Year | 711 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 27,579 in 2024.
Permit activity fell in each of the 3 calendar years through 2025.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 27,579 residents in 2024, up 0.8% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 2 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Clay County, which contains Gladstone, gained about 0.4% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $61,110, below the $64,961 of households that moved out.
At 0.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Jackson County, MO 3,779 people · 26% of arrivals
- Platte County, MO 2,644 people · 18% of arrivals
- Johnson County, KS 815 people · 5.5% of arrivals
- Wyandotte County, KS 511 people · 3.5% of arrivals
- Ray County, MO 434 people · 2.9% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Jackson County, MO 3,254 people · 24% of departures
- Platte County, MO 2,420 people · 17% of departures
- Johnson County, KS 844 people · 6.1% of departures
- Ray County, MO 528 people · 3.8% of departures
- Clinton County, MO 446 people · 3.2% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Clay County, MO. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 22°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 38.1 inches, including 11.0 inches of snow.
Air quality measures a median index of 41, in the Good band, and about 4 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 64 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 38.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 11.0" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 22°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 90°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 4 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 41 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 50°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 38% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 82% of measured US cities.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, inland flooding, ice storm, winter weather, landslide, lightning, wildfire, earthquake, strong wind, drought, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Gladstone's police department reported 332 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,448.
Clay County records 3.8 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 18.1 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at 17.3 per 100,000 residents in Clay County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Gladstone’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Gladstone (Clay County) rather than Gladstone itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Kansas City Intl at 10 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 88.9% | Bottom 46%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 10 mi | Top 27%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 3 | Bottom 20%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 7.3% | Top 49%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Intl | MCI | 10 mi | 10,801 ft |
| Rosecrans Meml | STJ | 43 mi | 8,061 ft |
| Topeka Rgnl | FOE | 62 mi | 12,803 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Other cities in Kansas City, MO-KS
Same metropolitan area, measured the same way| City | County | Population | Area Score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | Jackson County | 510,612 | 67 | Kansas City vs Gladstone |
| Overland Park | Johnson County | 200,306 | 74 | Overland Park vs Gladstone |
| Kansas City | Wyandotte County | 155,135 | 55 | Kansas City vs Gladstone |
| Olathe | Johnson County | 145,057 | 75 | |
| Independence | Jackson County | 121,740 | 58 | |
| Lee's Summit | Jackson County | 103,656 | 77 | |
| Shawnee | Johnson County | 68,542 | 75 | |
| Blue Springs | Jackson County | 59,965 | 77 | |
| Lenexa | Johnson County | 58,384 | 77 | |
| Leavenworth | Leavenworth County | 37,195 | 61 | |
| Leawood | Johnson County | 33,809 | 72 | |
| Liberty | Clay County | 30,689 | 73 |
Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
Put Gladstone side by side with a similar place.
Moving to Gladstone from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.