The West Central region consists of 13 counties and large towns like Sedalia, Warrensburg and Marshall.  In addition to hosting the annual Missouri State Fair, the region is home to three lakes and several conservation areas and historic sites.  Top industries are Agribusiness, Manufacturing, and Transportation/Logistics. Major companies like Ditzfeld Transfer, Schrieber Foods, and 3M have operations here.

November 2011: JC Solutions LLC, a producer of agricultural products, announced it will locate its manufacturing and packaging operations in Salisbury.

April 2011:  ProEnergy Services announced plans to invest $25.7 million in its Sedalia, Mo., facilities and create more than 300 jobs there during the next three years. ProEnergy was relocated to Sedalia in 2006 by President and CEO Jeff Cannon, a Missouri native. The company's areas of service include operations and maintenance, field services, technical services, equipment and parts, turbine services, renewable energy services, controls solutions and high voltage services.

Key Industries:

Agribusiness, Manufacturing, Transportation/Logistics

Major Employers:

3m: (Nevada)
Alcan Cable: (Sedalia)
American Standard: (Nevada)
Cargill: (Marshall)
ConAgra: (Marshall) 
Coreslab Structures: (Marshall)
Ditzfeld Transfer: (HQ Sedalia)
Duke Manufacturing: (Sedalia)
Enersys: (Warrensburg)
Gardener Denver Compressor: (Sedalia)
GE Energy: (Slater)
Hayes Lemmerz International Inc.: (Sedalia) 
Kent Feeds: (Marshall) 
Milbank Manufacturing: (Concordia) 
Monsanto: (Marshall)
Pioneer: (Miami)
Pittsburgh Corning: (Sedalia)
ProEnergy Services: (Sedalia)
Schreiber Foods: (Clinton)
Stahl Specialty Co.: (Kingsville) 
Swisher Mower & Machine Co.:  (Warrensburg)
Tracker Marine: (Clinton)
Tyson: (Sedalia)
Waterloo Industries: (Sedalia) 
WireCo Worldgroup: (Sedalia)

Area	Population 2010	Population Projection 2030	Civilian Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	Unemployment Rate
Bates County	16,717	18,923	7,543	6,676	867	11.50%
Benton County	18,399	20,228	7,914	7,122	792	10.00%
Carroll County	9,598	8,816	4,846	4,331	515	10.60%
Cedar County	13,417	13,207	6,695	6,092	603	9%
Chariton County	7,642	6,172	4,358	3,994	364	8.40%
Henry County	22,178	24,176	10,451	9,451	1,000	9.60%
Hickory County	8,867	9,292	3,446	3,004	442	12.80%
Johnson County	52,703	61,668	24,854	22,524	2,330	9.40%
Lafayette County	32,724	32,947	15,892	14,179	1,713	10.80%
Pettis County	41,775	47,349	21,054	19,270	1,784	8.50%
Saline County	23,012	21,140	3,885	3,466	419	10.80%
St. Clair County	9,336	9,184	11,235	10,301	934	8.30%
Vernon County	20,253	19,465	9,781	9,011	770	7.90%
West Central Region Summary	276,621	292,567	131,954	119,421	12,533	9.50%

Median Wages:

The regional average wage was $530 per week in the 1st Quarter of 2011.

Major roads in the area include I-70, US-24, US-40, US-50, US-54, US-65, and US-71. I-70 runs from Maryland to Utah, providing access to St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Indianapolis, and Dayton. US-24 extends from Colorado, through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, then on to Michigan.  US-40 begins in New Jersey and ends in Utah.

US-50 provides access to almost the entire continental U.S., from Maryland to California. US-54 begins in Northeast Missouri and terminates in Texas. US-65 runs from Minnesota to Louisiana. US-71 currently extends from the Canadian border all the way to Shreveport; a large section of the highway from Missouri south is currently being upgraded to Interstate standards as a potential extension of I-49.

The nearest commercial airport to the region is Kansas City International.

Class I rail access to the region is provided by Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific.   

Sedalia (Pop: 21,387)
Warrensburg (18,838)
Marshall (13,065)
Clinton (9,008)
Nevada (8,386)

Higher Education Institutions:

Cottey College: (Nevada) 2-year, private
Missouri Valley College: (Marshall) 4-year, private
State Fair Community College: (Sedalia) 2-year, public
University of Central Missouri: (Warrensburg) 4-year, public

Educational Attainment

Area	High School Diploma	Associate's Degree	Bachelor's Degree	Masters Degree	Total
Bates County, MO	5,646	616	950	528	7,740
Benton County, MO	5,829	865	1,010	546	8,250
Carroll County, MO	3,186	191	674	318	4,369
Cedar County, MO	4,550	372	800	419	6,141
Chariton County, MO	2,828	319	513	274	3,934
Henry County, MO	7,301	687	1,437	843	10,268
Hickory County, MO	3,221	235	390	299	4,145
Johnson County, MO	9,874	2,224	4,540	3,789	20,427
Lafayette County, MO	9,964	1,318	2,432	1,400	15,114
Pettis County, MO	9,434	2,554	3,025	1,885	16,898
Saline County, MO	5,802	487	1,477	983	8,749
St. Clair County, MO	3,142	233	376	262	4,013
Vernon County, MO	5,543	906	1,535	779	8,763
West Central Region	76,320	11,007	19,159	12,325	118,811
Source: ESRI. Population 25+, 2010.

It's easy to see why the residents of the West Central region love living here. They enjoy a low cost of living, excellent health care, and lots of recreational options.

Hospitals in the region include the Bothwell Regional Health Center (Sedalia), the Nevada Regional Medical Center, the Western Missouri Medical Center (Warrensburg), Golden Valley Memorial Hospital (Clinton), and Fitzgibbon Hospital (Marshall).

The Katy Trail, a 225 mile bike trail across the state of Missouri, passes through Sedalia and Clinton.

Every summer, Sedalia hosts the Missouri State Fair. Sedalia is also home to the Bothwell State Historic Site, a castle-like 12,000-square-foot lodge that exemplifies the Arts and Crafts style of architecture of the early 20th century. Sedalia also features the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art with a modern art collection that includes works by Ansel Adams, Ellsworth Kelly, and Roy Lichtenstein.

Whiteman Airforce Base, located near Warrensburg, is the home of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. Visitors may tour the base.

The August A. Busch Jr. Memorial Wetlands at Four Rivers and the Schell-Osage Conservation Area  near Nevada offer opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of the region.

Truman Lake, the state's second largest, is located near Clinton. The area is popular for boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking.