Belton is a city in northwestern Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 23,953 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

History

Belton was platted in 1871. The city was likely named for surveyor Capt. Marcus Lindsey Belt. A post office called Belton has been in operation since 1872.

Geography

Belton is located in northwest Cass County and is four miles from the Missouri-Kansas border. The city is on Missouri Route 58 west of I-49/U.S. Route 71. Raymore lies four miles to the east, Peculiar is seven miles to the southeast along Route 71 and Grandview is five miles to the north in Jackson County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Belton had a population of 23,953 and a population density of 1,682.1 per square mile (649.1/km).

Of the 9,171 households in Belton, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.9% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 6,470 families in the city.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 18,402 || 76.8%

|-

| Black or African American || 1,928 || 8.0%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 139 || 0.6%

|-

| Asian || 259 || 1.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 53 || 0.2%

|-

| Some other race || 835 || 3.5%

|-

| Two or more races || 2,337 || 9.8%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 2,211 || 9.2%

|}

2016–2020 American Community Survey

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $65,667 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,113) and the median family income $72,003 (+/- $6,020). Males had a median income of $44,234 (+/- $4,453) versus $31,825 (+/- $3,105) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $37,555 (+/- $2,205). Approximately, 8.5% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2013, there were 23,175 people, 8,623 households, and 6,083 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 9,440 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.7% White, 6.0% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.7% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.1% of the population.

There were 8,623 households, of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.

The median age in the city was 33.6 years. 28.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census the largest employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! #

! Employer

! # of Employees

|-

||1

|QuikTrip Distribution

|1,005

|-

|2

|Belton School District

|637

|-

|3

|Belton Regional Medical Center

|286

|-

|4

|Hy-Vee

|269

|-

|5

|City of Belton

|185

|-

|6

|ROM

|161

|-

|7

|Price Chopper

|150

|-

|8

|Beautiful Savior Home

|150

|-

|9

|Adesa Kansas City

|122

|-

|10

|Home Depot

|112

|}

Education

Belton School District #124 includes most of Belton. It operates six elementary schools, two middle schools, and Belton High School.

A portion of eastern Belton is in the Raymore-Peculiar School District.

Belton has a public library, a branch of the Cass County Public Library.

Notable people

  • Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People (parents moved to community when he was adult but he is buried in Belton)
  • Emmett Dalton, of the bank-robbing Dalton Gang
  • Ben Hardaway, storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer, and director during the Golden Age of American animation.
  • Kevin Hern, businessman and member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district
  • George Mercer, convicted rapist and murderer executed by lethal injection
  • Carrie Nation, leader of temperance movement
  • Tate Stevens, 2012 winner of The X Factor
  • Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States.
  • Brad St. Louis, played 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League.

Sister cities

  • Manzanillo, Mexico
  • Selkirk, Canada

References

  • Historic maps of Belton in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri