The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that in 2014, U.S. metropolitan areas, including Kansas City, set export highs for the fifth year in a row. Exports for the United States reached more than $1.44 trillion in goods. In 2014 the Kansas City region had a total merchandise export of $8.3 billion, which is up $251 million, a 3.1 percent increase over 2013.

The Kansas City MSA ranks as the 40th largest export market in the U.S. with $8.3 billion in exports. Agricultural Products are the number one export from the region at $1.9 million, with transportation equipment close behind at approximately $1.8 million in exports. Johnson County, Kansas, is the highest export area of the region reporting $3 billion in exports.

Canada was the number one country exported to with $2.5 billion, giving Canada 30 percent of the market share. Throughout 2014 the Kansas City region benefitted greatly from the free trade agreement (FTA), exporting 59.5 percent of merchandise to the FTA partners.  Also, the Kansas City region exported $4.5 billion in goods to the NAFTA region and $57 million in merchandise to the CAFTA-DR region. Overall, Kansas City had an excellent year. Numbers are expected to rise in 2015 with multiple new developments around the region.

Explore the full report.