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What sets Kansas City's economy apart

The industry that stands out most in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro, measured against the national mix, is wholesale agents and brokers. Its 384 establishments are 1.7 times the share you would expect from the country as a whole. Next come warehousing (211 establishments, 1.5 times) and securities and investment firms (1,033 establishments, 1.4 times). Of the 61 metros on these pages with published figures for wholesale agents and brokers, Kansas City ranks 4th, behind Birmingham, AL and others.

Brokerage and agency businesses sell on the strength of their principal agreements and commission histories.

Warehouse sales and leasebacks bring leases, environmental reports and tenant files to many reviewers at once. In warehousing, Kansas City places 7th of 61 metros here; Riverside, CA leads.

How Kansas City compares

The Census Bureau estimated the Kansas City, MO-KS metro's population at 2,253,579 in July 2024, up 61,561 or 2.8 percent on the April 2020 base of 2,192,018.

Measured against the 2023 estimate of 2,228,762, the same year as the business count, Kansas City has 54.3 offices of lawyers per 100,000 residents, 28th of the 59 metro areas on these pages against a median of 52.6; the nearest rates are Providence, RI at 55.0 and Washington, DC at 55.3.

The metro with the closest number of law offices is San Antonio, TX, with 1,188; the metro closest in population, Columbus, OH at 2,225,377 residents, has 836 law offices and 713 accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll establishments.

Counted by accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll firms instead, Kansas City's nearest match is Charlotte, NC, with 1,067.

• Residents, July 2024: 2,253,579
• Residents, April 2020 base: 2,192,018
• Change since 2020: +61,561 (2.8 percent), 30th of 59
• Law offices per 100,000 residents: 54.3, 28th of 59
• Accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll per 100,000 residents: 47.7, 17th of 59
• Securities and investment per 100,000 residents: 46.3, 13th of 59
• Managing offices per 100,000 residents: 16.6, 18th of 59
• Real estate agents and brokers per 100,000 residents: 56.8, 29th of 59
• Employees in offices of lawyers: about 8,400
• Employees in accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll: about 11,000

The courts and regulators behind Kansas City paperwork

When a Kansas City dispute reaches federal court, it goes to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, whose Kansas City courthouse is the Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse.

CPAs practicing in Missouri are licensed by the Missouri State Board of Accountancy.

At state level, securities offerings and investment advisers in Missouri answer to the Missouri Secretary of State, Securities Division, so a Kansas City fund raising money or an adviser facing an exam has documents to produce on request.

If personal information in a Kansas City deal, audit or case file is exposed, Missouri's data breach notification law sets who has to be told and when.