Greater Kansas City Profile

The Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) is your single point of contact for doing business in the Kansas City region.

Our team is one of the most experienced and effective in regional economic development, ranked No. 1 in the United States in 2020 for the third consecutive time by you—the customer. We work in close coordination with our community, utility and state partners to help you find the best location within the KC region upholding all required confidentiality for our clients. 

Read what our CEOs have to say about why Kansas City is where they belong.

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H&R Block Testimonial

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VMLY&R Testimonial

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Kauffman Foundation Testimonial

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Hallmark Cards Testimonial

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Water.org Testimonial

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Burns & McDonnell Testimonial

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Honeywell Testimonial

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Black & Veatch Testimonial

Climate & Environment

 Climate Normals, 2022
Average Annual Temperature  55.7°F 13.2°C
 High  January  65.0°F  18.3°C
 July 101.0°F 38.3°C
 Low  January 1.0°F  -17.2°C
 July 60.0°F 15.6°C
Annual Precipitation 34.6 in 87.9 cm
Annual Snowfall 21.4 in 54.4 cm
Annual days of snowfall
in excess of 1.0 in (2.54 cm)
7 days 
Annual average wind speed 10.4 mph 16.7 kph
Annual relative humidity  62.0%
Source: U.S. National Climatic Data Center, Local Climatological Data, International Airport, Kansas City, Missouri.

Corporate Openings, Expansions, Downsizings & Closings

Businesses that Opened Major Operations or
Expanded Existing Operations in the Greater Kansas City Area

Business Expansions & Openings (50+)
Company
Type of Operation Location Jobs Created Type of Action
2024
Americold Temperature controlled warehousing Kansas City, MO 167 Opening
Excelleratre, a div. of Faith Technologies, Inc. Energy experts in electrical planning, engineering, design and installation Olathe, Ks 400 Expansion
HART, Inc. Digital health (Hdq.) Kansas City, MO 50 Opening
Honeywell Aerospace Electronic Systems Aircraft communication and navigation equipment mfg. Olathe, KS 156 Expansion
LEADER Worldwide Ground travel and logistics Kansas City, MO 59 Expansion
RB Srl Precision parts mfg. Kansas City, MO 35 Opening
TAB Battery Industrial battery assembly (Hdq.) Liberty, MO 50 Opening
2023
ACE Hardware Distribution center Kansas City, MO 350 Opening
Chick-fil-A Supply, LLC Distribution center Olathe, KS 63 Opening
Cnano Technology USA Carbon nano tube mfg. New Century, KS 112 Opening
DSM Pet nutrition mfg. Tonganoxie, KS 28 Opening
Felixvet Pharmaceuticals mfg. Kansas City, MO 10 Opening
Hillman Co. Distribution center Belton, MO 120 Opening
Marvin Windows Building materials mfg. Kansas City, KS 600 Opening
Project Nautique Food distribution center New Century, KS 84 Opening
Nuuly, a div. of URBN  Retail distribution center Raymore, MO 750 Opening
Triumph Foods Food processing (Hdq.) St. Joseph, MO 88 Expansion
US Motor Works After market auto parts distribution center Liberty, MO 70 Opening
Veeva Systems Pharmaceutical cloud computing technology Kansas City, MO  124  Opening 
Vertical Cold Storage Cold storage facility Kansas City, MO 67 Opening
Walmart Beef packaging and distribution center Olathe, KS 667 Opening
Western Governors University Educatin Kansas City, MO 23 Opening
2022
Amazon Sortation center Liberty, MO 750 Opening
Boot Barn Retail distribution center Kansas City, MO 240 Opening
Catalent, Inc. Pharmaceutical product dev. services Kansas City, MO 50 Expansion
Clorox  Product distribution center  Olathe, KS  250  Opening 
Ford Motor Company Motor vehicle mfg. Claycomo, MO 1,100 Expansion
Mars Petcare Pet food R&D and mfg.  Kansas City, MO  95  Expansion 
Meta Facebook data center Kansas City, MO 100 Opening
Mythical Games Gaming technology Kansas City, MO 100 Expansion
Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. EV battery mfg. De Soto, KS 4,000 Opening
RLE International Group USA Global engineering and design  Kansas City, MO 200 Opening
Zoom Tech and video communications Overland Park, KS 50  Expansion


Businesses that Closed Major Operations or 
Reduced Existing Operations in the Greater Kansas City Area

Business Closures & Reductions (50+)
Company
Type of Operation Location Jobs Lost Type of Action
 2023
AGI SureTrack Ag Tech Leawood, KS 73 Downsizing
American Century Investments, Inc. Mutual funds (Hdq.) Kansas City, MO 30 Downsizing
Attane Marketing agency specializing in senior living communities (Hdq.) Kansas City, MO 73 Closing
AutoAlert Automotive data mining (Hdq.) Kansas City, MO 175 Downsizing
CHEP Services LLC Logistics supplier of pallets, crates and containers Kansas City, MO 99 Closing
Centrinex Call center management operation (Hdq.) Lenexa, KS 114 Downsizing
Coleman Company Retail distribution center Gardner, KS 100 Closing
Compass Minerals International, Inc. Salt production (Hdq.) Overland Park, KS 48 Downsizing
Hallmark Cards, Inc. Greeting card mfg. (Hdq.) Lenexa, KS 38 Downsizing
HMSHost Food and beverage operator Kansas City, MO 170 Closing
Matheson Flight Extenders Flight logistics Kansas City, MO 40 Closing
NASB Financial Inc. Financial services Kansas City, MO 125-160 Downsizing
Oracle Cerner Health care information systems Kansas City, MO NA Downsizing
PPC Flexible Packaging LLC Packaging mfg. Mission, KS 99 Downsizing
VVF Kansas Services LLC Soap mfg. Kansas City, KS 76 Closing
2022
Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB Manufacturing Company)  Mattress mfg. Lenexa, KS 70 Closing
Smithfield Farmland Foods Meat processing mfg. Kansas City, KS 80 Closing
Spring Venture Group  Insurance broker (Hdq.) Kansas City, MO   197 Downsizing 

Cost of Living

Cost of Living Index

The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) produces a cost of living index which is unique in measuring inter-city differences in the cost of six major components of consumer expenditures (grocery items, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services).

Metropolitan Area  Cost of Living Index, 2023 Annual Average 
 Austin, TX 98.9
 Boston, MA 146.5
 Dallas, TX 102.1
 Denver, CO 110.3
 Kansas City, MO-KS  93.7
 Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 148.9
 Minneapolis, MN 93.3
 Phoenix, AZ 101.9
 United States 100.0

   

Housing Affordability

Kansas City consistently rates as one of the most affordable housing markets among metropolitan areas with populations exceeding one million.

Median Sales Price, Existing Single Family Homes
Metropolitan Area
Median Sales Price
Austin-Round Rock, TX $485,700
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $745,100
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI $365,100
Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington, TX $385,700
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO $673,000
Kansas City, MO-KS
$328,800
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA $897,600
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI $387,900
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ $467,200
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $744,300
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $612,600
United States
$406,900

Source: National Association of Realtors, 3Q 2023

Tax Burdens, 2020

State and Local Tax Revenue Per Capita
KANSAS
MISSOURI
U.S.
All Taxes $5,207 $3,966 $5,617
Property Taxes 1,711 1,114 1,810
Sales Taxes 1,981 1,529 1,964
Individual Income Taxes 1,151 1,027 1,282
State and Local Tax Revenue Per $1,000 of Personal Income
KANSAS
MISSOURI
U.S.
All Taxes $104 $85 $106

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Education

Public Elementary & Secondary Education

Greater Kansas City area residents are served by 112 public school districts, with almost 400,000 students. Fifteen of these districts represent over 60 percent of area enrollments. The diverse options in education provides greater Kansas City residents with exceptional quality of life and provides an exceptional labor pool.

 Educational Attainment of Persons 25 or Older
Location High School Graduates or Higher  Bachelor's Degree or Higher
Kansas City, MO-KS MSA 93.4%  39.7%
United States 89.6% 35.7%

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 ACS 1-Year Estimate.

Institutions of Higher Learning

Four-Year Colleges and Universities
Location
Headcount Enrollment
Fall 2022
Avila University
Kansas City, MO
1,306
Baker University
Baldwin City, KS
2,105
Benedictine College
Atchison, KS
2,362
DeVry University
Kansas City, MO
20
Haskell Indian Nations University
Lawrence, KS
727
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, MO
738
Kansas City University
Kansas City, MO
1,306
MidAmerica Nazarene University
Olathe, KS
1,508
Missouri Western State University
St. Joseph, MO
4,023
Ottawa University
Ottawa & Overland Park, KS
953
Park University
Parkville, MO
7,662
Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO
3,405
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO
11,637
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Overland Park & Kansas City, KS
26,708
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kansas City, MO
15,703
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth & Overland Park, KS
1,267
Washburn University
Topeka, KS
5,460
Webster University
Kansas City, MO
159
William Jewell College
Liberty, MO
853
Total
87,902
Two-Year and Technical Colleges
Aviation Institute of Maintenance Kansas City, MO 185
Concorde Career College Kansas City, MO 678
Donnelly College
Kansas City, KS
358
Ft. Scott Community College Paola, KS 189 
Grand River Technical School Chillicothe, MO 76
Hillyard Technical Center St. Joseph, MO 90
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS
16,497
Kansas City KS Community College
Kansas City, KS
4,676
Metropolitan Community College
 
12,872
Blue River Community College
Blue Springs &
Independence, MO
 
Longview Community College
Kansas City, MO
 
Maple Woods Community College
Kansas City, MO
 
Penn Valley Community College
Kansas City, MO
 
Pinnacle Career Institute
Kansas City, MO (2) & Lawrence, KS
344
 
The Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center Lawrence, KS 2,515
Washburn Institute of Technology
Topeka, KS
1,157
Total
39,637

Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics.

Graduate and Professional Schools

Fifteen institutions within the metro area offer graduate degrees in numerous disciplines. The University of Kansas and the University of Missouri also offer professional degrees in law, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy. Bioscience and biotechnology opportunities are available at Kansas State University Olathe. Degrees in osteopathic medicine are offered by the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Soft Skills Development Training Opportunities in KC

Through the community colleges in the Kansas City area, employers and employees have the opportunity to advance their business success and careers by obtaining soft skills training. An individual's soft skills come from his or her personal attitudes, habits, and qualities that affect his or her ability to relate, communicate, and interact with co-workers. Soft skills include: communication, conflict-resolution, negotiation, work ethic, time management, personal effectiveness, problem-solving, team building, confidence, flexibility, and handling criticism.

Soft skills are vital to a successful employee as they complement the hard skills needed to get the job done. Torotel Products in Olathe, Kan. saw an increase in their "On Time Delivery, No Returns" jumping from 86.99% to 94.23% after supervisors attended soft skills training courses at Johnson County Community College. The following is a list of soft skills development training courses/workshops offered in the metropolitan area:

Johnson County Community College

  • Developing Performance Goals and Standards
  • Essential Skills of Leadership
  • Managing Diversity
  • Essential Skills of Communicating
  • Coaching Job Skills
  • Understanding HR Laws
  • Providing Performance Feedback
  • Effective Discipline
  • Leading Meetings
  • Supporting Change
  • Improving Work Habits
  • Time Management
  • Managing Generational Differences
  • Communicating Up
  • Effective Emails
  • Resolving Conflicts
  • Managing Complaints
  • Making Presentations
  • Getting Started as a New Leader
  • Delegation

Kansas City, KS Community College

  • Essential Employability Skills
  • Front-Line Supervision
  • Flexible Work Options
  • Bridging the Generational Gap
  • Bridging Language and Culture
  • Networking Ability
  • Creating a High Performance Workforce
  • The High Performing Team
  • Supervision Techniques
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Motivational Dynamics
  • Customer Service
  • Business Etiquette
  • Obtaining Employment 

Metropolitan Community College

  • Cultural Competency
  • Communication Skills
  • Building Trust
  • Fundamentals of Human Communications
  • Principals of Supervision
  • Coaching
  • Fundamentals of First-Line Supervisors
  • Conflict Management
  • Training Others
  • Getting Started as a New Leader
  • Change Management
  • Customer Focus
  • Leadership Development
  • Professional Development
  • Stress Management

Other Area Resources

Kansas State University in Manhattan, Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan., the University of Missouri's Columbia campus, and Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville are some of the nearby major institutions from which area employers also recruit.

International Development

The Kansas City metropolitan area is the home to many well recognized international companies, including AMC Entertainment, Inc., Bayer CropScience, Boehringer Ingelheim, CEVA Animal Health, Inc., Clarios, Elanco Animal Health, Huhtamaki Americas, Merck Animal Health, Nestle Purina Petcare Global and VMLY&R.

The KCADC business development team works closely with the international development departments of the State of Kansas and State of Missouri.

Kansas

The Kansas Department of Commerce works with new and existing businesses wishing to expand their service reach to the international marketplace. The department also takes an active role in bringing international business to the state. The state has key contacts in China and Mexico, as well as consultants in Asia, Europe, India and South America. Services to Kansas businesses include the following programs:

  • International investment recruitment 
  • Export assistance to Kansas companies 
  • Kansas International Trade Show Assistance Program

The Department's Trade Development Division (TDD) provides assistance to Kansas companies wishing to begin or expand their international marketing efforts. Assistance includes counseling, market research, identification of overseas agents and distributors, trade leads, coordinated marketing promotions, export seminars, international trade show assistance, overseas trade missions, etc. The International Trade Show Assistance Program provides Kansas companies with reimbursement of one-half of their direct exhibition related-expenses at an international trade show, up to $3,500. Under the program, individual Kansas companies may receive up to $7,000 per state fiscal year. 

Missouri

The International Trade and Investment Group in the Business and Community Division of the Missouri Department of Economic Development works to increase the number of Missouri companies exporting; increase the dollar volume of Missouri exports; and to increase the level of foreign investments to the State of Missouri.  Building relationships with organizations across the globe creates resource linkages that enhance the competitive position of Missouri firms. There are State of Missouri offices in China, Europe, Japan, Mexico and Taiwan.

The International Trade and Investment Group assists companies with trade information, trade counseling, trade missions, trade shows, business protocol, global market research, agent/distribution searches, competitive analysis, export finance assistance, and certificates of Free Sale.

The state of Missouri Export Finance Program is a cooperative effort between the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Development Finance Board. The State of Missouri Export Finance Program focuses on the export finance programs of several federal and international agencies.  Missouri companies exporting can use the export finance programs of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) and the international programs of the Small Business Administration (SBA). There are primarily two programs available to small and medium-sized companies:  the Export Working Capital Program and the Export Credit Insurance Program. These programs are designed to help small and medium-sized businesses that have exporting potential obtain export working capital and also mitigate risks in international transactions.

Missouri companies export to countries around the world. Often, export dependent jobs pay higher wages.  Global markets greatly impact export dependent industries in the State of Missouri.  If you would like to learn more about the International Trade and Investment Group, please visit the Missouri Export Portal.

Labor Force

 
Labor Force
Labor Force Employed Unemployed Unemployment Rate
Kansas City MSA 1,151,186 1,112,768 38,418 3.3%
United States 166,428,000 159,650,000 6,778,000 4.1%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Jan. 2024.
Note:  Not Seasonally Adjusted.

Employment by Industry 2022

employment_occupation_2022
 Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2022 1-Year Estimates.

 

Population Characteristics

Kansas City MO-KS MSA Lawrence, KS MSA St. Joseph, MO MSA Topeka, KS MSA
2000 1,842,814 100,281 123,969 224,787
2010 2,035,334 110,826 127,329 233,870
2020 2,195,043 118,777 121,631 232,890
2021 2,202,933 119,480 120,814 232,771
2022 2,209,494 119,964 119,690 231,783

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates.
.   
 Pouplation per Square Mile 2009
Source: SRC/Experian/Applied Geographic Solutions.
 

 2009 Core Counties Population per square mile
Source: SRC/Experian/Applied Geographic Solutions.

pop_age_dist_2022
  Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates.

 INCOME, 2022
Kansas City MSA
United States
Total Households 897,185 129,870,928
Average Household Income $102,553 $105,555
Median Household Income $75,280 $74,755
Per Capita Income $42,257 $41,804

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates.

Households_by_Income_2022
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates.

Transportation

Distances from Kansas City

 
Highway Distance
Flight
Miles
Km
Time
Direction
Atlanta
793
1,276
1:55
SE
Chicago
501
806
1:15
NE
Dallas
489
787
1:25
S
Denver
602
969
1:45
W
Houston
712
1,146
2:08
S
Los Angeles
1,580
2,543
3:40
W
Minneapolis
435
700
1:20
N
New York
1,221
1,965
2:51
NE
Orlando
1,223
1,968
2:30
SE
Seattle
1,820
2,929
3:50
NW
Toronto
975
1,569
2:08
NE
Washington, D.C.
1,059
1,704
2:15
E

 

Air

The metropolitan area is served by 12 major commercial airlines and their connection partners. These carriers offer approximately 140 daily departures, with nonstop service to over 45 destinations.

The presence of low-cost, low-fare airlines, as well as most of the full-service majors, keeps competition up and airfares down. Kansas City enjoys one of the lowest-cost air travel markets in the country. Travelers experience fewer delays at Kansas City International Airport than most major airports.

According to J.D. Power & Associates, Kansas City International (MCI) ranks highest among medium-sized airports, and performs particularly well in airport accessibility, check-in/baggage check and security check. 

Kansas City International Airport
Distance from downtown area:
21 miles / 34 kilometers
Length of longest runway:
10,800 feet / 3,240 meters
 
Selected General Aviation Airports
Airport County Distance from Downtown Longest Runway Length
Clay County Regional Airport
Clay
20 mi./32 km
4,000 ft/1,200 m
East Kansas City / Grain Valley Airport
Jackson
23 mi./37km
4,501 ft/1,350 m
Topeka Regional Airport*
Shawnee
71 mi./114 km
12,819 ft/3,907 m
Johnson County Executive Airport
Johnson
22 mi./35 km
4,099 ft/1,230 m
Lawrence Municipal Airport
Douglas
42 mi./68 km
5,000 ft/1,524 m
Kansas City Downtown Airport*
Clay
1 mi./2 km
7,001 ft/2,100 m
Lee's Summit Municipal Airport
Jackson
19 mi./30 km
4,015 ft/1,205 m
New Century Aircenter*
Johnson
29 mi./46 km
7,339 ft/2,202 m

Rosecrans Memorial Airport*

Buchanan
49 mi./78 km
8,059 ft/2,418 m

*These airports, together with KCI, are capable of supporting large cargo aircraft.

Nonstop Jet Destinations, 2023
Nonstop Map with Lines 1123

Major Passenger Carriers Serving Kansas City

  • Air Canada
  • Alaska Airlines
  • Allegiant
  • American Airlines
  • Apple Vacations
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Frontier Airlines
  • JetBlue
  • Southwest Airlines
  • Spirit Airlines
  • Sun Country Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • Vacation Express
  • Viva Aerobus
  • International Air Service: Europe

     International Flight Map to Europe

     
    Destination
    Daily Flights
    Quickest Route
    KC (MCI) to London (LHR)
    33
    Through Toronto (YYZ): 9.9 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Amsterdam (AMS)
    17
    Through Minneapolis (MSP): 10.3 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Paris (CDG)
    20
    Through Minneapolis (MSP): 10.7 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Munich (MUC)
    12
    Through Chicago O'Hare (ORD): 11.3 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Frankfurt (FRA)
    33
    Through Toronto (YYZ): 9.9 Hrs.
    Connection Cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, Newark, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Toronto, Washington, D.C.

    Source:  Kansas City International Airport, 2020.

    International Air Service:  Asia

    International Flight Map to Asia

    Destination
    Daily Flights
    Quickest Route
    KC (MCI) to Beijing (PEK)
    7
    Through Detroit (DTW): 16.0Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Seoul (ICN)
    10
    Through Minneapolis (MSP): 15.2 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Shanghai (PVG)
    5
    Through Chicago O'Hare (ORD): 16.9 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Tokyo (NRT)
    15
    Through Denver (DEN): 14.3 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Delhi (DEL)
    3
    Through Toronto (YYZ): 18.4 Hrs.
    KC (MCI) to Osaka (KIX)
    2
    Through Seattle (SEA): 18.8 Hrs.
    Connection Cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Washington, D.C.

    Source:  Kansas City International Airport, 2020.

    Highway


    Highways serving the metro:

    • 4 interstates (I-70, I-49, I-35, I-29)
    • 4 interstate linkages (I-435, I-635, I-470,
      I-670)
    • 9 federal highways

    Highway System 
     

    • KC's average commute time is 22.8 minutes, which is the 3rd lowest among the top 50 MSA's. (Source:  U.S. Census Bureau, ACS, 1-Year Estimates, 2022)
    • KC is rated as the second least-congested metropolitan areas overall in the U.S. (Source: Tom Tom Traffic Index 2023, 800,000+ Population)
    • On average, Kansas City drivers spend only 14% of their travel time in traffic congestion. (Source: Tom Tom Traffic Index 2023)

    Public Transit

    Kansas City Area Transportation Authority—The Metro (KCATA), Johnson County Transit—The Jo, and Unified Government Transit—The Bus. The three transit organizations maintain integrated routes and services across the bi-state metro under one umbrella of the KCATA. They also participate with the Mid-America Regional Council in the region's Smart Moves 3.0 transit planning effort.

    KC Downtown Streetcar

    The two-mile, north-south KC Streetcar starter line travels primarily through Downtown along Main Street and connect the River Market to Crown Center and Union Station and will serve the Central Business District, the Crossroads Art District, and the Power and Light District, as well as numerous businesses, restaurants, art galleries, educational facilities and residents. This is the first piece of a comprehensive and connected transit system with the goal of connecting Kansas City. Completed in 2016, the KC Streetcar is recognized as the most successful by ridership (3 million riders in 18 months) and investment ($2.25 Billion in just over 24 months). The streetcar route plans to expand over 9 miles, north-south, extending north to the Missouri River front and south to the Country Club Plaza, adjacent to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

    Bike

    Kansas City will build 1,000 miles of bike lanes over the next 20 years to improve cyclist and pedestrian choices that connect to a much larger regional trail network also being expanded. The RideKC Bike system has 42 stations around the city. Leisurely to serious biking enthusiasts appreciate the extensive trail system in and around KC. The Rock Island Railroad Corridor, will begin construction on 17 miles of new, shared use path is opening in late 2019. The 17-mile Rock Island Corridor shared use path brings the 500 miles of the Katy and Rock Island Trails, linking Kansas City and St. Louis, to within 6-8 miles of completion. View Regional Bikeway System Map. JoCo Trails has more than 35 miles—Turkey Creek Streamway, Shawnee Mission Park, Mill Creek Streamway, and Kansas Bike Trails. For more information visit JCPRD.

    Private Ride Services

    A host of ride services are available across the Kansas City region including UberLyftZipCar cabs and limos.

    Rail

    Kansas City is generally regarded to be the second largest rail center in the U.S. and ranked first by freight volume. Five of eight Class I rail carriers, three regional lines, and a local switching carrier (Kansas City Terminal) serve the area. Amtrak passenger trains serve the city four times per day.

     
    Freight Railroads Serving Kansas City
    Class 1 Railroads Regional Railroads
    Burlington Northern Santa Fe Iowa, Chicago & Eastern
    Kansas City Southern
    Missouri & Northern Arkansas
    Norfolk Southern
    Union Pacific
    Canadian Pacific   

    Barge

    Kansas City adjoins the Missouri River's Corps of Engineers-managed shipping channel which runs from St. Louis, MO to Sioux City, IA.

    Barge lines: 7 operate along the Kansas City area of the Missouri River
    Facilities: 41 docks and terminal facilities exist in the metropolitan area
    Channel depth: 9 feet (2.7 meters)
    Channel width: 300 feet (91.4 meters)
    Commercial tonnage, 2008: 2,050,773 short tons (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
    Usual shipping season: late March through November

    KC SmartPort

    KC SmartPort is a non-profit economic development organization that works to attract freight-based companies, such as manufacturing, distribution, and warehouses, to the 18-county, bi-state Kansas City region. For more information go to KC SmartPort's website.

    Digital Connectivity

    First in Fiber

    The KC region is the most connected city in the United States. With over 5.5 million miles of fiber deployed, approximately 2 miles per resident, businesses and residents maintain a robust connectivity anywhere in our 8,472 square miles. Over 97% of the homes in the metro area can access fiber at their home, making work-from-home programs among the most effective in the world. Over 50% of the homes in the region have 2 or 3 choices for fiber to the home, allowing residents to take charge of their digital experience and keep rates low due to the intense competition for connectivity.

    Kansas City is among the few that have a fully deployed fiber network in the downtown business district to support corporate operations. This network is complemented by a fully deployed fiber network in the KC region including a publicly owned 10GB network in North Kansas City, fiber to the home in multiple Kansas and Missouri communities from major carriers AT&T, Comcast, Google Fiber, Level 3, and Spectrum. KC is also home to Netrality at 1102 Grand, one of seven carrier hotels in the United States. The easy accessibility to the internet exchange point at 1102 Grand through all carriers ensures minimal data latency and immediate access to corporate entities and customers around the world.

    Kansas City Latency to Major Markets


    Latency Map

    Innovative and Future-Ready

    According to The Building Smarter Cities and Communities report, six out of 10 Americans want to live in a Smart City—Kansas City is home to a legacy of innovation and poised to build upon this legacy. Amazon Web Services is leveraging this innovative and connected environment to build out its first AWS Smart Region in partnership with Xaqt, one of the startups that began its story in the KC Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.

    Kansas City was the first Gigabit connected region, and as a result, a host of digital entrepreneurs formed StartUp Village. From this community emerged several successful companies including blooom, a financial services company now worth $1B; EyeVerify, a digital security firm that recently exited from startup status to become part of the AliBaba family; and Machine Halo, a national leader in public safety technology development.

    Inclusive

    The KC region is among the national leaders of the Digital Inclusion community. Our cities hosted the first national conference on the topic, and programs born in KC are now being replicated across the country. KC recognizes that no place can truly be “smart” unless its residents, despite zip code, race, age, income, or educational level, are able to reap the benefits of our fiber connectivity and IoT.

    KC has been on the forefront of digital equity efforts aimed at providing access to affordable and adequate broadband, access to affordable computer equipment, and digital literacy skills training for our residents, such as piloting the federal ConnectHome, ConnectAll, ConnectEd, and TechHire initiatives, as well as co-founding such national organizations as the National Digital Inclusion Alliance and Next Century Cities.

    Data Driven Solutions

    Kansas City was one of the first Bloomberg What Works Cities and has earned numerous awards for basing government operations on data, not just dialogue.

    Metro-Wide, the area has adopted many regional data sharing initiatives. One such initiative is standardized emergency radio systems, guaranteeing coverage as events unfold across the metro. This allows emergency services to be continuously connected to their communications network regardless of what jurisdiction they are in - a rarity in many metro areas. The result is increased public safety should a large-scale public safety issue occur. In additional to the shared communications network, many additional regional data sharing initiatives exist.

    Concentration of Cybersecurity

    The KC region is home to a large cybersecurity presence – employing 6,852 in the workforce. The FBI-Kansas City Division in Kansas City investigates terrorism, counterintelligence, cybercrime, public corruption, civil rights, organized crime, white-collar crime, violent crime and weapons of mass destruction. The KC Field Office conducts multiple outreach programs including the Citizens Academy, the Youth/Teen Academy, Junior Special Agent, FBI-SOS and several more.

    Fort Leavenworth is the home of the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center (CAC). CAC, as a major subordinate headquarters of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, has often been referred to as the "Intellectual Center of the Army." 

    Another rich asset for the KC region is one of the nation’s top fusion centers – the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC). At the KIFC, global intelligence collected by the Adjunct General is used by the Attorney General to prevent terrorism and crime, broadening the scope of other centers that simply investigate incidents after the fact. The KIFC is also unique in hosting biothreat and cybersecurity teams which include public and private‐sector subject matter experts to help analyze global and domestic threats. These outside experts hold security clearances, which lets them work with KIFC analysts to dissect classified data collected around the world. The additional expertise allows the KIFC to do a better job protecting this region, and also allows external individuals to do a better job protecting their company, university, hospital, state agency, etc. from biological and/or cybersecurity threats.

    Local Security Groups

    DEFINING THE GREATER KC METRO AREA 

    Kansas City is a Missouri/Kansas bi-state metropolitan area. All statistical references made to Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) include the counties of Bates, Caldwell, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Lafayette, Platte and Ray in Missouri, and Johnson, Leavenworth, Linn, Miami and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. The greater Kansas City area also includes the adjoining Lawrence, KS, St. Joseph, MO, and Topeka, KS MSAs, as well as the Atchison, KS, Chillicothe, MO, Ottawa, KS, and Warrensburg, MO areas.

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