BIG ON FACTS AND FIGURES...
STATE POPULATION/AREA – 2.7 million/82,282 sq. miles
LARGEST CITIES
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357,000 MSA - 545,000 |
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165,000 MSA - 1.8 million |
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147,000 MSA - 1.7 million |
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122,000 MSA - 170,000 |
AFFORDABLE LIVING
Living costs in Kansas are very reasonable. In fact, Kansas has the sixth lowest cost of living in the nation.
DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY
The Kansas economy is highly diverse due in part to a
right-to-work law. The major economic sectors include:
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| Finance, insurance and real estate |
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5.4% |
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| Transportation, wholesale and utilities |
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8.3% |
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BIG ON MAJOR COMPANIES …
Manufacturing - Frito Lay, Rubbermaid, General Motors, Goodyear Tire, Hallmark, Keebler, Tony’s Pizza,
Interstate Bakeries, Honeywell, Phillips Lighting and Jostens
Distribution - Amazon.com, American Eagle Outfitters,
Pacific Sunwear, OfficeMax, Staples, Target, Kroger,
Ford Motor Company, DHL, Kimberly-Clark and Wal-Mart
Office Services - Farmers Insurance, General Electric,
Waddell & Reed, Capital One, Prescription Solutions, IHOP, Bank of America, AIG, T-Mobile and Capgemini.
BIG ON EDUCATING ITS WORKFORCE ...
- Kansas has one of the most educated and skilled labor pools
in the nation as evidenced by the state’s commitment to
education spending which is 12th best in the nation.
- Kansas ranks 12th in the nation for percent of adults, 25
years and over, with both a high school education and
college degree.
- Our educated labor force works at a very competitive rate,
with the state’s cost of doing business nearly 20 percent
below the most expensive states.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
- University of Kansas
29,000 students
- Kansas State University
23,000 stuents
- Wichita State University
14,000 students
- Fort Hays State University
6,200 students
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- Emporia State University
5,200 students
- Pittsburg State University
6,600 students
- Washburn University
5,300 students
- 19 Community Colleges
- 10 Technical Schools and Colleges
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BIG ON TRANSPORTATION ...
- Kansas maintains the third best state-owned road and
highway system in the nation. Our strategic location allows
next-day freight delivery to nearly 70 percent of the U.S.
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Kansas ranks in the top 10 in the nation in railroad
mileage. Kansas City is the 2nd leading rail center in
the nation and will be enhanced by the new Burlington
Northern Santa Fe rail intermodal facility once completed
in Kansas.
- Interstates 70 and 35 cross Kansas and connect with I-29,
part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
corridor.
- The largest airports are Kansas City International and
Wichita Mid-Continent, with 13 national and five regional
carriers. Eight regional airports also offer commercial air
service.
- Four Class I rail carriers have a total of 2,790 miles of track
in the state, supported by 17 short-line railroads.
BIG ON REPUTATION ...
- Pollina Corporate Real Estate, one of America’s leading
corporate site-relocation experts, ranks Kansas in the top 10
for most business-friendly states in the nation. Pollina
praised Kansas for “pro-business policies that result in job
growth” and a “conducive business atmosphere.”
- Site Selection magazine named Kansas one of the
nation’s most competitive states for capital investment
and new facility development.
- Area Development magazine has consecutively awarded
Kansas its “Silver Shovel” award in 2008, 2007 and
2006 for top job creation and investment projects.
Kansas won in the “under three million population”
category.
BUSINESSES THRIVE IN A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN THINK BIG.
They grow in an environment that fosters new ideas and offers wide-open opportunities. They prosper in cities with educated and motivated workers.
Businesses find success in Kansas.
Kansas is a state full of natural resources. A core of workers with a strong work ethic. Legislators who
spur business by eliminating property taxes on new
business machinery and equipment. Big thinkers with ‘can do’ ingenuity who find better ways to get it done. Smart, dedicated development professionals who listen and lead. A moderate cost of doing business, an exceptional lifestyle and, of course, plenty of room to grow. It’s no coincidence so many successful
businesses call Kansas home.
KANSAS IS BIG ON …
HEADQUARTERS OPERATIONS
Kansas boasts many major corporate headquarters, including Black & Veatch, Koch Industries, Collective Brands, Embarq,
Lee Apparel, Seaboard, Fujifilm Sericol, Danisco, Universal
Underwriters, Bushnell, Huhtamaki Americas, Ferrellgas, Garmin, Perceptive Software, American Ingredients, VVF LLC, Baader North American, Sprint Nextel, Westlake Hardware and YRC Worldwide.
MAJOR AVIATION MANUFACTURING CLUSTER
More than half of the general aviation aircraft produced in the U.S. is built in Kansas by companies such as Boeing IDS, Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft Corporation and Bombardier Aerospace Learjet. These companies along with numerous suppliers employ more than 40,000 workers, with the greatest concentration in the Wichita metropolitan area.
BIOSCIENCE CLUSTER
Kansas has emerged as one of the fastest-growing bioscience clusters in the U.S. with companies such as Quintiles, Caravan Ingredients, Bayer CropScience, Bayer HealthCare and Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Intervet, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Ventria Bioscience, IdentiGEN and OncImmune.
WORLD-CLASS AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION
- Kansas is ranked first nationally in wheat production and
third in beef processing.
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Dairy farmers in the state produced over 2.3 billion pounds
of milk in 2007.
BIG ON STATE INCENTIVES …
- 100 percent property tax exemption on commercial
machinery and equipment purchased after June 30, 2006.
- Income tax credits for research and development, new job
creation and investment, as well as annual property taxes
paid on machinery and equipment.
- Sales tax exemptions on the purchase of construction labor
and materials and facility machinery and equipment.
- Sales tax exemption on personal property that is consumed
or becomes a component part in the manufacturing process.
- Property tax abatement on real property of up to
100 percent for 10 years.
- Manufacturers’ and merchants’ inventories are exempt from
property taxes.
- Industrial Revenue Bonds provide up to 100 percent
financing of land, building and equipment.
- Workforce training grants to train the workforce
of existing and new Kansas business.
- Community Development Block Grant for projects
in non-metro areas.
- Forgivable loans for project-related costs associated
with the establishment or expansion of a business facility.
- Phase out of Kansas franchise tax over next five years.
- Reduction of unemployment insurance rates of
40 to 100 percent for existing and new employers.
- Reduction of corporate income tax rate through 2011.
BIG ON ELECTRICITY, NATURAL GAS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ...
- Electricity costs in Kansas are below the national average
supplemented by the excess electric generating reserve
and transmission capacity through the three largest
investor-owned companies in the state.
- Kansas is ranked fifth lowest in the U.S. for average price
of natural gas. The 4,800 square-mile Hugoton Gas
Field makes the state a leading natural gas exporter.
- Thanks to Kansas’ central location, businesses have
access to east-west and north-south major trunk lines,
connecting to a nationwide fiber optic network.
BIG ON SITE LOCATION DATA …
Click for more information about available sites and buildings or incentives in Kansas.
Download Executive Summary Brochure
1000 S.W. Jackson St., Suite 100
Topeka, KS 66612-1354
Phone: (785) 296-5298
Fax: (785) 296-3490
TTY: (785) 296-3487
E-mail: busdev@kansascommerce.com
ThinkBigKS.com
Photography by Michael C. Snell