Kansas City Industrial Market
Kansas City is home to over 2.16 million people and is closer to the geographic center of the contiguous 48 states than any other major city and is only 200 miles from the mean center of population in the United States according to the US Census. Forecasts have predicted that the Kansas City population will increase by 7.3% to 2.32 million by 2025, while the labor force will grow from 1.39 million in 2018 to 1.54 million in 2025, for a growth rate of 10.5%. Kansas City was home to Ford Motor Company’s first plant located outside of Detroit, which was opened by Henry Ford himself in 1913, and by 1926 General Motors had a manufacturing facility in the city as well. Both companies maintain a major presence in Kansas City today, with Ford employing 7,320 at the Claycomo Assembly Plant and General Motors employing 2,200 at the Fairfax Assembly Plant.
Today Kansas City’s manufacturing presence continues to drive the market’s ongoing boom in industrial real estate. More than 40 major suppliers to the automotive industry have a presence in the Kansas City market, and some of the biggest automotive names in the world have made significant capital investments in facilities in and around Kansas City over the past several years. Along with the sizable auto presence, the area also has significant production facilities for companies that specialize in wearable GPS devices, meteorological machinery, and government defense contractors.
Strong Infrastructure: Kansas City has long benefited from its central location to serve as a logistics hub for all of the United States. From the earliest days of western expansion, the area has been a base for trade moving throughout the country and increasingly throughout the world. The city now boasts an expansive Interstate system that gives it the most highway miles per-capita of any major city in the United States and allows for easy access to and shipment out in any direction. Along with the highway system, Kansas City is an increasingly important intermodal hub. Railroads play a major role in the Kansas City economy and six of the seven Class I railroads have a local presence. Major investment by the railroads has seen Kansas City become the third most-important rail hub in the country behind only Dallas and Chicago, and in many cases the railway infrastructure in Kansas City is superior to that of other markets.
Today Kansas City’s manufacturing presence continues to drive the market’s ongoing boom in industrial real estate. More than 40 major suppliers to the automotive industry have a presence in the Kansas City market, and some of the biggest automotive names in the world have made significant capital investments in facilities in and around Kansas City over the past several years. Along with the sizable auto presence, the area also has significant production facilities for companies that specialize in wearable GPS devices, meteorological machinery, and government defense contractors.
Strong Infrastructure: Kansas City has long benefited from its central location to serve as a logistics hub for all of the United States. From the earliest days of western expansion, the area has been a base for trade moving throughout the country and increasingly throughout the world. The city now boasts an expansive Interstate system that gives it the most highway miles per-capita of any major city in the United States and allows for easy access to and shipment out in any direction. Along with the highway system, Kansas City is an increasingly important intermodal hub. Railroads play a major role in the Kansas City economy and six of the seven Class I railroads have a local presence. Major investment by the railroads has seen Kansas City become the third most-important rail hub in the country behind only Dallas and Chicago, and in many cases the railway infrastructure in Kansas City is superior to that of other markets.