Raytown is located in Jackson County, Missouri, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was 29,526 in the 2010 U.S. census.

William Ray established a blacksmith shop on the Santa Fe Trail in Jackson County in about 1848. The settlement around the blacksmith shop was known first as “Ray’s Town” and later as “Raytown” in 1854.

There is now a historical marker in Raytown at the corner of 63rd Street and Raytown Road showing the location of William Ray’s shop.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,949, and the median income for a family was $50,952. Males had a median income of $33,828 versus $26,745 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,634. About 3.1% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.