The economy of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri, which is the largest city in the state and 37th largest city in the United States. The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is the 27th largest in the United States, based on the United States Census Bureau's 2004 population estimates.
The Kansas City area's economy is large, influential, and important in its region. It is the third largest beef-producing city in the US (behind Chicago and Cincinnati), and is home to the second largest rail network. The area houses many factories, manufacturing plants, an official international trade zone, and more foreign trade zone space than anywhere else in the nation.
Other major companies and employers
Kansas City is also home to a number of large national and international companies, including:
American Century Investments, mutual fund manager and broker
Barts Electric, electrical contractor specializing in commercial and government installations
Bernstein-Rein, nationally recognized advertising firm
Black & Veatch Corporation
Burns & McDonnell Engineering
Bushnell Corporation, manufacturer of outdoor products specializing in optics and imaging
Cerner Corporation
Commerce Bancshares, large bank operating in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois
Crayola, a division of Hallmark
Dairy Farmers of America
Embarq Corporation, large telecommunications company based in Overland Park; it was spun off from Sprint in 2006
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Garmin, develops consumer, aviation, and marine technologies for GPS
Hallmark Cards, largest greeting card manufacturer in the world (Although Hallmark's gross revenues would generally be more than sufficient for inclusion in the Fortune 500 and 1000, those lists only apply to public companies. Hallmark is privately held by the Hall family and is thus ineligible for inclusion on the Fortune 500 or 1000.)
HNTB, global infrastructure planning, engineering, and consulting firm
Interstate Bakeries, maker of Wonder Bread, Twinkies, and other products
Kansas City Life Insurance, major national insurer
Kansas City Southern Industries, railway management
Russell Stover Candies, currently under purchase by Swiss-based company Lindt
Sprint Nextel, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world; its world headquarters is located in Overland Park
Wish-Bone salad dressing
YRC Worldwide, one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in the world; based in Overland Park
Other major regional and national non-corporate employers headquartered and/or located in Kansas City include:
Shook, Hardy & Bacon, major national and international law firm
University of Missouri - Kansas City, full branch of the University of Missouri
Ford trucks, including the F-150 and Escape, manufactured at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo
Bon Ami cleaning powder, produced by Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company of Kansas City
Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse, manufactured at the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Fairfax, Kansas City
Dawn dishwashing detergent, manufactured by Procter & Gamble in Kansas City
The federal government is the largest employer in Kansas City. In the wider metropolitan area, the federal government, either directly or through contracts, employs 41,500 people. The combined annual payroll of these jobs is more than $3 billion.
The largest federal agencies in the Kansas City area by number of permanent employees are:
Department of Defense - 15,294
Department of Veterans Affairs - 2,740
Department of Treasury (primarily the IRS) - 2,707
Social Security Administration - 1,708
Department of Agriculture - 1,451
Department of Homeland Security - 1,230
Department of Justice - 1,210
Department of Transportation - 1,048
General Services Administration - 883
Environmental Protection Agency - 540
The U.S. Postal Service employs more than 6,000 in the Kansas City area. Postal jobs are often counted separately from other federal jobs, because these potions are generally in the excepted service. Employees in these positions cannot earn competitive status or reinstatement rights for traditional federal employment.
Kansas City has many business publications. Two of the most prominent are the Kansas City Business Journal (weekly), and Ingram's Magazine (monthly). Many of Kansas City's business scions also frequently appear in the Independent, the local society magazine (weekly), and KC Business Magazine (monthly).
