Missouri's West Central Region

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.

May 2013: QC Supply, an international distributor of agricultural goods, announced a new distribution center in Sedalia. QC Supply’s expansion will include a capital investment of $1.1 million and is expected to create 9 new full-time jobs.

February 2013: Lyne Plastics announced a $1.2 million expansion in Sedalia, creating 14 new jobs.

November 2012: GE announced the addition of more than 115 new jobs in 2012 at its production facilities in Slater, Mo., a town of 2,000 people where the business has manufactured filtration technologies since 1975. In addition to these new jobs, over the next five years, GE plans to invest nearly $11 million to improve its facilities in this area.

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)
Kent Feeds: (Marshall) 
Maxion Wheels: (Sedalia)
Milbank Manufacturing: (Concordia)
Monsanto: (Marshall)
Pioneer: (Miami)
Pittsburgh Corning: (Sedalia)
ProEnergy Services: (Sedalia)
Schreiber Foods: (Clinton)
Stahl Specialty Co.: (Kingsville) 
Swisher Acquisition Inc.:  (Warrensburg)
Tracker Marine: (Clinton)
Tyson: (Sedalia)
Waterloo Industries: (Sedalia) 
WireCo Worldgroup: (Sedalia)

Area	Population 2011	Population Projection 2030	Civilian Labor Force (July 2012)	Employment (July 2012)	Unemployment (July 2012)	Unemployment Rate (July 2012)
Bates County	17,008	18,923	7,935	7,262	673	8.50%
Benton County	19,115	20,228	7,752	7,073	679	8.80%
Carroll County	9,260	8,816	4,631	4,234	397	8.60%
Cedar County	13,948	13,207	6,562	6,050	512	8%
Chariton County	7,734	6,172	4,262	3,965	297	7.00%
Henry County	22,219	24,176	10,232	9,397	835	8.20%
Hickory County	9,628	9,292	3,566	3,076	490	13.70%
Johnson County	53,439	61,668	24,374	22,433	1,941	8.00%
Lafayette County	33,209	32,947	16,930	15,538	1,392	8.20%
Pettis County	42,178	47,349	19,911	18,289	1,622	8.10%
Saline County	23,280	21,140	3,794	3,436	358	9.40%
St. Clair County	9,641	9,184	11,343	10,506	837	7.40%
Vernon County	20,963	19,465	9,403	8,758	645	6.90%
West Central Region Summary	281,622	292,567	130,695	120,017	10,678	8.20%

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)
Odessa (5,273)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011

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 Degrees
Bates County	5,505	667	927	421	7,740
Benton County	6,484	763	1,117	673	8,250
Carroll County	2,911	325	774	396	4,369
Cedar County	4,529	669	797	369	6,141
Chariton County	2,584	296	513	276	3,934
Henry County	6,746	753	1,602	784	10,268
Hickory County	3,315	310	456	146	4,145
Johnson County	9,516	2,332	4,220	2,902	20,427
Lafayette County	9,130	1,387	2,441	1,125	15,114
Pettis County	9,403	2,434	2,660	1,595	16,898
Saline County	3,423	348	622	390	8,749
St. Clair County	5,701	796	1,740	916	4,013
Vernon County	6,329	741	1,231	754	8,763
West Central Region Summary	76,320	11,007	19,159	12,325	118,811

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.