Local Economic Development Contacts
Contact Us Phone: +1.314.725.0949
Toll Free: +1.877.725.0949
Fax: +1.314.725.0743
120 South Central Avenue, Suite 1150
Saint Louis, MO 63105
12200 NW Ambassador Drive, Suite 234
Kansas City, MO 64163 |
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Missouri's Kansas City Region
The Kansas City region is composed of five counties and contains Missouri’s largest city and second largest metro area. The region is famous for its barbecue and sports teams; baseball’s Royals and football’s Chiefs are both based in Kansas City. Growing industries in the region include Advanced Energy, Biosciences, Contact/Data Centers, and Manufacturing. Many major companies are headquartered in the KC region; Cerner Corporation, Commerce Bancshares, Hallmark, and H&R Block are just a few examples.
Recent Investment Projects
January 2011- American Performance Technologies, which manufactures motor scooters and other small-engine products under the Motovox brand, announced a $26 million expansion and plans to hire 250 people over the next few years at their Kansas City facility.
December 2011- Capgemini, a French professional services firm, is establishing a new division in Lee’s Summit, adding 125 information technology jobs during the next five years.
November 2011- Data Systems International Inc., a leading global provider of enterprise mobility solutions, announced it would relocate its global headquarters to Kansas City creating 15 new jobs while relocating 145 from the state of Kansas and investing more than $15 million.
Lafarge announced that it would move its offices — and 50 jobs — to Kansas City.
AndroJek Inc., a male fertility diagnostic company, announced it was moving its corporate headquarters to Independence from Florida and hiring 18 new employees.
AT&T Inc. announced hiring 40 customer support representatives for its Small Business Sales Center in Kansas City.
Aspen Veterinary Resources and its affiliate, Precision Logistics, announced a 34,800 square foot expansion in Liberty. The expansion represents a $1.8 million investment by Animal Health International and the creation of 10 new jobs at the Liberty facility.
October 2011- Ford announced a $1.1 billion investment in their Claycomo facility, adding a second manufacturing line for the F-150 pickup truck in 2012 and bringing in a new product, the Transit commercial van, in 2013. The investment will create 1,600 new jobs.
September 2011- Card Compliant, a regulatory and compliance service company, announced it was relocating its headquarters and office operations to a new facility in Kansas City, relocating 19 employees in the information technology sector and creating 16 new jobs. The company will also make a capital investment of nearly $1 million.
Duraseal Pipe Coatings, a manufacturer and exporter serving the oil and gas industry, announced it would bring 35 employees across the state line from Kansas and will add 45 jobs at its new 37,000-square-foot location in Kansas City, Missouri.
August 2011- Gasket Engineering announced plans to expand into a new Kansas City building and add 10 new jobs with help from a $1.3 million loan from the Missouri Linked Deposit Program.
Engineering and architectural firm Burns and McDonnell announced it is getting up to $12 million in state tax credits as part of a headquarters expansion that could add 500 local jobs. It is also undertaking a $25 million renovation of its facility.
July 2011- Milbank Manufacturing announced plans to hire 57 new employees and invest $2.7 million to set up new production lines for renewable energy products at its Kansas City facility.
Blount International Inc., an outdoor equipment manufacturer, announced plans to be the first tenant of the KCI Intermodal BusinessCentre, bringing a 350,000-square-foot distribution center that will create 89 jobs in Kansas City.
North American Savings Bank, a Grandview-based financial institution, announced it would relocate its mortgage lending division from Overland Park, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo., creating 200 new jobs making and new investment of $5.9 million.
A Kansas City plumbing parts distributor, AMDG Enterprises Inc., doing business as Midland Metal LTD, announced plans to expand its operations and move to a new facility, creating 21 new jobs and making new investment of $1.1 million.
June 2011- Midland Metal Manufacturing company announced plans to expand its Kansas City operation, creating a $2.6 million investment and 54 new jobs.
May 2011- Olympic Steel, an Ohio-based metals service company, announced it would open a 43,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Kansas City.
General Motors supplier Flex-N-Gate announced it will add 300 positions in Kansas City during the next five years.
Burns & McDonnell announced a $20M expansion of their Kansas City headquarters. Additionally, in April the engineering firm announced that they would be adding 150 jobs in the Kansas City area.
February 2011- SCD Probiotics, an emerging global bioscience company, announced its plans to expand its operations and create an estimated 62 new jobs in downtown Kansas City.
Touton USA, a French commodity trader, announced plans to put its North American headquarters in Kansas City, creating 21 executive jobs.
January 2011- Exergonix, a clean technology company which makes large battery storage systems, announced it had selected Lee's Summit for their headquarters and manufacturing operations, expected to create 275 new jobs.
Workforce
| Area |
Population 2010 |
Population Projection 2030 |
Civilian Labor Force |
Employment |
Unemployment |
Unemployment Rate |
| Cass County |
101,153 |
136,933 |
49,968 |
45,507 |
4,461 |
8.90% |
| Clay County |
230,639 |
300,021 |
120,989 |
110,979 |
10,010 |
8.30% |
| Jackson County |
710,455 |
714,467 |
343,811 |
310,251 |
33,560 |
9.80% |
| Platte County |
92,016 |
114,904 |
50,045 |
46,228 |
3,817 |
7.60% |
| Ray County |
23,284 |
24,435 |
11,223 |
10,001 |
1,222 |
10.90% |
| Kansas City Summary |
1,157,547 |
1,290,760 |
576,036 |
522,966 |
53,070 |
9.20% |
Median Wages
The regional average wage was $936 per week in the 4th Quarter of 2010.
Transportation Access
Major area roads include I-29, I-35, and I-70 as well as US-40, US-50, US-69 and US-71. I-29 extends to the Canadian border in North Dakota, passing through cities such as Council Bluffs, Sioux Falls, and Fargo. I-70 runs from Maryland to Utah, providing access to St. Louis, Denver, Indianapolis, and Dayton.
Major junctions on I-35 include San Antonio, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Minneapolis. 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 region also boasts one of only two major commercial airports in Missouri: Kansas City International airport.
Class I rail access is provided by Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Union Pacific.
Kansas City also has a port facility on the Missouri River.
Major Cities
Kansas City (Pop: 459,787)
Independence (116,830)
Lee’s Summit (91,364)
Blue Springs (52,575)
Liberty (29,149)
Gladstone (25,410)
Raytown (29,526)
Grandview (24,475)
Education
Higher Education Institutions:
Avila University: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
DeVry University: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
Kansas City Art Institute: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
Metropolitan Community College: (Independence, Kansas City, Lee's Summit) 2-year, public
Park University: (Parkville) 4-year, private
Rockhurst University: (Kansas City) 4-year, private
University of Missouri-Kansas City: 4-year, public
William Jewell College: (Liberty) 4-year, private
Educational Attainment:
| Area |
High School Diploma |
Associate's Degree |
Bachelor's Degree |
Graduate Degree |
Total |
| Cass County, MO |
25,231 |
5,862 |
9,266 |
4,595 |
44,954 |
| Clay County, MO |
45,749 |
11,849 |
28,588 |
13,066 |
99,252 |
| Jackson County, MO |
136,581 |
32,351 |
78,645 |
45,124 |
292,701 |
| Platte County, MO |
15,202 |
5,194 |
14,715 |
7,653 |
42,764 |
| Ray County, MO |
7,755 |
841 |
1,458 |
684 |
10,738 |
| KC Region |
230,518 |
56,097 |
132,672 |
71,122 |
490,409 |
| Source: ESRI. Population 25+, 2010. |
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Other Resources
Kansas City Life Sciences Institute: The Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute works to advance the region's life sciences research, commercialization, and workforce development.
Metropolitan Community College- Penn Valley Health Science Institute: The MCC-Penn Valley Health Science Institute is a brand new, state-of-the-art education center that provides hands-on and interdisciplinary learning opportunities for the area's healthcare workforce.
MRIGlobal: Formerly known as the Midwest Research Institute, MRIGlobal has earned international recognition for its health research services supporting the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, veterinary medicine, agrochemical, and related industries worldwide. MRI develops and evaluates seed coating and pelletizing processes incorporating desired chemical or biological treatments.
Stowers Institute for Medical Research: The Stowers Institute conducts basic research on genes and proteins that control fundamental processes in living cells to unlock the mysteries of disease and find the keys to their causes, treatment, and prevention.
University of Missouri--Kansas City Center of Excellence in Mineralized Tissue: The Center specifically conducts research to prevent and treat diseases of mineralized tissue which includes teeth, cartilage, bone and muscle tissue. Research at the Center is applied to biomaterials, medical devices, diagnostics, imaging and veterinary medicine.
University of Missouri--Kansas City School of Biological Sciences Fungal Genetics Stock Center: The (FGSC), a National Science Foundation-supported collection of biological materials used in research. FGSC holds more than 60,000 stocks and nearly a million molecular clones for use in basic and applied research, as well as clinical and industrial research. FGSC serves biologists, chemists and high school teachers in the region, and distributes materials to researchers in 50 countries and most states within the U.S. The FGSC website averages more than 1.5 million hits per year, and is the most active website in the world for research in fungal genetics.
Quality of Life
Residents of the Kansas City region also enjoy a much lower cost of living than residents of other large metropolitan areas, with access to some of the top health care facilities in the United States, such as Children’s Mercy and Saint Luke’s Hospitals.
In addition to being home to a wide variety of professional sports teams, including the Royals (Baseball), the Chiefs (Football), the Wizards (Soccer), and the Command (Arena Football), Kansas City offers a wide variety of recreational and cultural activities.
Museums in the region include the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Truman Presidential Museum & Library. Kansas City also has amusement parks (Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun), casinos, and a zoo.
The region is widely known for its barbeque and is home to the largest barbeque contest in the world, the American Royal Barbeque Festival.
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