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The economy of Kansas City Metropolitan Area is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri, which is the largest city in Missouri and 40th 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 is a large, influential, and important economy in its region. Historically, Kansas City, Missouri has been the third largest beef capital in the United States (behind Chicago and Cincinnati) and home to the second largest rail network. The Kansas City Metropolitan Area houses many factories, manufacturing plants, an official international trade zone, and more foreign trade zone space than anywhere else in the nation KC SmartPort.
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Fortune 1000
As of 2006, although the Kansas City Metropolitan Area is home to ten of the Fortune 1000 companies, Kansas City, Missouri, itself is home to only six:
- H&R Block (tax preparation and personal finance; the only Fortune 500 company in Kansas City)
- Interstate Bakeries Corporation (international wholesale baker and distributor)
- Great Plains Energy (public utilities)
- Aquila, Inc. (public utilities)
- AMC Entertainment (national movie theatre chain)
- DST Systems Inc. (software developer specializing in information processing and management)
The following is a comparison of Kansas City's Fortune 1000 status to other regional cities:
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| Chicago, Illinois | 28 | 2,873,790 | 9,505,748 | |
| St. Louis, Missouri | 18 | 350,705 | 2,832,204 | |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | 11 | 373,943 | 3,437,464 | |
| Cleveland, Ohio | 11 | 458,684 | 2,942,303 | |
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 11 | 583,624 | 1,709,926 | |
| Cincinnati, Ohio | 10 | 314,154 | 2,100,501 | |
| Columbus, Ohio | 9 | 730,008 | 1,920,601 | |
| St. Paul, Minnesota | 7 | 276,963 | 3,437,464 | |
| Indianapolis, Indiana | 7 | 784,242 | 1,939,349 | |
| Kansas City | 6 | 444,387 | 1,992,836 | |
| Omaha, Nebraska | 6 | 409,416 | 839,867 | |
| Detroit, Michigan | 4 | 900,198 | 5,425,588 | |
| Des Moines, Iowa | 2 | 194,311 | 582,362 |
Other major companies and employers
Kansas City is also home to a number of other very large, national and international companies, some of which are:
- American Century Investments (mutual fund manager and broker)
- Black & Veatch Corporation
- Burns & McDonnell Engineering
- Commerce Bancshares (large bank operating in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois)
- Crayola (a division of Hallmark)
- Hallmark Cards (largest greeting card manufacturer in the world) (NOTE: 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 the Fortune 500 or 1000.)
- HNTB (global infrastructure planning, engineering, and consulting firm).
- Interstate Bakeries (maker of Wonder Bread, Twinkies, and other assorted products)
- Kansas City Southern Industries (railway management)
- Kansas City Life Insurance (major national insurer)
- Russell Stover Candies
- Wish-Bone salad dressing
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)
Kansas City SmartPort controversy
Numerous independent news sources have spoken out about the perceived purposes of the KC SmartPort; especially leading media figures Alex Jones and Lou Dobbs that oppose its undertaking due to possible individual rights infringements. Internet-savvy individuals have long pointed out the SmartPort's importance among the North American SuperCorridor Coalition's plans to create a European Union-like 'North American Union'; presently advocated by the Independent Task Force on North America.
Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC)
For more information on Kansas City's economy, visit the EDCKC's website at EDCKC.
Business publications
Kansas City has many business publications. Two of the most prominent are the Kansas City Business Journal (published weekly), and Ingram's Magazine (published monthly). Many of Kansas City's business scions also frequently appear in the Independent, the local society magazine (published weekly). "KC Business Magazine" (published monthly)Their respective websites can be found at:
- Kansas City Business Journal
- Kansas City Small Business Monthly
- Ingram's Magazine
- The Independent
- "KC Business Magazine"
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