AreaProfile

Kansas City, MO-KS

Metro Area Profile

2,218,142 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area.

78
Area Score
Top 10% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 21% of 99 published metros76
GrowthTop 27% of 99 published metros63
Housing affordabilityTop 21% of 99 published metros95
ClimateTop 42% of 99 published metros72
Physical resilienceTop 26% of 99 published metros76
Access76th of 99 published metros85
Economic stabilityTop 18% of 99 published metros88
The quick read

Kansas City ranks in the top 21% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.7% and median household income of $83,460.

Its Area Score of 78 places Kansas City in the top 10% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
2,218,142
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$83,460
Top 13% nationally
Density
306/sq mi
7256.5 sq mi of land
Median age
38.0
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Kansas City, MO-KS
Nearest major airport
MCI
29 mi · Kansas City Intl
Median home value
$287,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.7% is lower than 79% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.6% over the past year, to 1,183,945 employed residents.

40% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 88% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 87% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$831$83,460Top 13%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$468$45,685Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.0%Bottom 16%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute24.8 minTop 42%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher39.8%Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment1,183,945Top 28%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)1.8%Top 32%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.6%Top 43%June 2026
Labor force1,229,257Top 29%June 2026
Labor force participation68.0%Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$66,550Top 42%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$50,820Top 38%2025 OEWS
Metro employment1,096,110Top 34%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.3%Bottom 31%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.7%Bottom 21%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/065.12.3
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.7% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Kansas City, MO-KS
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
General and Operations Managers31,080$90,490
Registered Nurses29,650$83,040
Retail Salespersons26,110$34,320
Cashiers24,160$30,700
Stockers and Order Fillers23,580$36,850
Customer Service Representatives22,240$44,350

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,249 takes 18% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.4 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
18.0%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.4×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,249
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$287,300
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.44Top 41%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate65.8%Bottom 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±496960,950Top 3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$9$1,249Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,005$287,300Top 28%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income18.0%Bottom 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate6.8%Bottom 15%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
63/ 100
Top 27% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 3% since 2020, reaching 2,253,579 in 2024.

At 4.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
11K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.9
Top 42% nationally
Year over year
+13%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
44.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320242254k2195k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 88°F and January a low of 22°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 38.3 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station LEES SUMMIT MUNI AP, 4.3 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND5.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation38.3"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low22°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high88°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing48°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

76 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, hail and winter weather.

HailElevated
TornadoModerate
Winter weatherModerate

Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, cold wave, inland flooding, ice storm, lightning, strong wind, landslide, earthquake, wildfire, drought, hurricane.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 29 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Kansas City IntlMCI29 mi10,801 ft
Rosecrans MemlSTJ63 mi8,061 ft
Topeka RgnlFOE66 mi12,803 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
78
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.