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US State economic profile
Kansas - Economic Profile
Statistics, economic information and rankings for the Sunflower State
In 2026, the state of Kansas has a population of 2,998,458, having grown an annualized 0.4% over the five years to 2026, which ranks it 36th out of all 50 US states by growth rate. Kansas' gross state product (GSP) in 2026 reached $184.7b, with growth of 1.6% over the 5 years to 2026. Businesses in Kansas employed a total of 1,531,996 people in 2026, with average annual employment growth over the past five years of 1.3%. The top three sectors by total employment are Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Manufacturing, Information, while the unemployment rate across the state in 2026 was 3.9%.
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State economic profile
Kansas Economic Overview
$184.7b
Gross state product
2,998,458
Population
291,477
Businesses
What is Kansas' Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
In 2026, Kansas' GDP reached $184.7b, representing an increase of 1.6% from 2025. Kansas' GDP has grown at an annualized rate of 1.0% over the five years to 2026. Moreover, Kansas' trailing five-year GDP growth ranks it 36th out of all 50 US states.
State GDP, or Gross State Product, is a measurement of a state's output, or the sum of value added from all industries in the state. It is a common indicator used to track the health of a state's economy.
You can track trends in Kansas' GDP, and compare them to the national average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Kansas Industry Trends
Learn about current trends affecting the most significant industries for Kansas' state economy, down to the county level. IBISWorld offers state industry research reports on over 30,000 industries across all 50 states in the US, including 631 industries in Kansas.
What are Kansas' Largest Industries by Revenue?
The largest industries by revenue in Kansas are Farm, Lawn & Garden Equipment Wholesaling, Aircraft, Engine & Parts Manufacturing and Corn, Wheat & Soybean Wholesaling, which generated $26.2b, $22.5b and $22.4b in 2026.
| Industry | 2026 revenue | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Farm, Lawn & Garden Equipment Wholesaling | $26.2b |
| 2. | Aircraft, Engine & Parts Manufacturing | $22.5b |
| 3. | Corn, Wheat & Soybean Wholesaling | $22.4b |
| 4. | Meat, Beef & Poultry Processing | $19.9b |
| 5. | Petroleum Refining | $17.0b |
| 6. | Hospitals | $13.4b |
| 7. | Commercial Banking | $11.1b |
| 8. | Health & Medical Insurance | $10.5b |
| 9. | New Car Dealers | $10.4b |
| 10. | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $10.1b |
State economic profile
Top Companies in Kansas
Learn about current trends affecting the top companies in Kansas. IBISWorld offers benchmarking data and tools on over 5,000 companies in the US.
Top 10 Companies Headquartered in Kansas by Employment
The largest companies by employment in Kansas are State of Kansas, Walmart Inc. and University of Kansas, which employed 259,700, 22,768 and 15,312 people in 2026.
| Company | 2026 employment | Share of employment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | State of Kansas | 259,700 | 17.0% |
| 2. | Walmart Inc. | 22,768 | 1.5% |
| 3. | University of Kansas | 15,312 | 1.0% |
| 4. | Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. | 12,000 | 0.8% |
| 5. | Ascension | 9,300 | 0.6% |
| 6. | The Kroger Co. | 9,008 | 0.6% |
| 7. | Amazon.Com, Inc. | 8,000 | 0.5% |
| 8. | Fort Riley | 6,100 | 0.4% |
| 9. | T-Mobile Us, Inc. | 4,600 | 0.3% |
| 10. | The Home Depot, Inc. | 3,505 | 0.2% |
State economic profile
Kansas Sector Statistics
In Kansas, certain sectors drive a higher share of state GDP and employ more workers than others. However, simply looking at raw numbers doesn't always tell the whole story. Factoring in the current year growth percentage, in addition to the annualized growth percentage over the past five years, will give you a deeper understanding of the economic situation.
What is Kansas' GDP by Sector?
The Real Estate & Rental & Leasing, Manufacturing and Information sectors contributed the most to Kansas' GDP in 2026, representing a combined 42.6% of state GDP.
GDP trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are contributing the most value-add to the state economy, in addition to how the state economy is evolving over time.
| Sector | GDP | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 28,836,936,904 | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Manufacturing | 27,204,652,511 | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Information | 21,847,551,232 | 21.1% | 25.5% |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 16,384,777,815 | 4.0% | 4.2% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 14,240,283,986 | 6.1% | 6.5% |
| Retail Trade | 12,178,165,432 | 3.9% | 3.5% |
| Finance & Insurance | 9,585,949,985 | 1.3% | 0.7% |
| Wholesale Trade | 9,419,426,620 | -2.1% | -2.4% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 6,623,508,740 | -0.3% | -0.9% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 6,089,398,286 | 2.0% | 2.1% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 6,005,726,038 | 10.0% | 1.8% |
| Construction | 5,797,338,144 | -2.1% | -3.0% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 5,208,287,504 | 4.0% | 6.0% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 4,452,602,633 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 3,405,736,219 | -1.9% | -1.9% |
| Utilities | 2,277,603,172 | -4.1% | -3.5% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 1,238,975,945 | 9.6% | 10.7% |
| Mining | 1,140,212,487 | 0.7% | -0.8% |
| Educational Services | 1,024,299,111 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
What is Kansas' Employment by Sector?
The Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Manufacturing sectors contributed the most to employment in Kansas in 2026, representing a combined 38.0% of state employment.
Employment trends by sector are an important indicator of which sectors are growing or contracting most rapidly relative to the state economy as a whole.
| Sector | Employment | Growth 2026 | Annualized growth 2021-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 227,079 | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| Retail Trade | 180,230 | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Manufacturing | 174,362 | 0.9% | 2.3% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 123,718 | 0.3% | 2.2% |
| Administration, Business Support and Waste Management Services | 118,036 | 1.7% | 1.6% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 106,329 | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 103,949 | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Construction | 95,775 | 1.2% | 1.8% |
| Finance & Insurance | 89,553 | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 70,186 | 1.3% | 3.1% |
| Wholesale Trade | 66,018 | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Educational Services | 63,886 | -1.2% | -0.7% |
| Real Estate & Rental & Leasing | 36,743 | 1.3% | 0.9% |
| Information | 34,891 | 2.7% | 6.7% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 21,383 | 0.4% | 2.5% |
| Utilities | 9,893 | 2.5% | 3.4% |
| Mining | 6,706 | -4.2% | -0.8% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 3,259 | 1.2% | 1.8% |
State economic profile
Kansas Employment Trends
1.5m
Employment
3.9%
Unemployment
What Employment Trends are Impacting Kansas?
The state of Kansas employs 1,531,996 people in 2026, which ranks it 33rd out of all 50 US states. Employment in Kansas has grown at an annualized rate of 2.0% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the national average of 1.7%. Major sectors by employment in Kansas include Healthcare & Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Manufacturing, which employed 227,079, 180,230 and 174,362 people in 2026, respectively. Kansas' unemployment rate is 3.9% in 2026, which ranks it 16th out of all 50 US states. Kansas' unemployment rate has trended upwards at a rate of 3.0% over the five years to 2026, overperforming the US economy as a whole.
Employment trends indicate the degree of tightness or slack in labor markets, in addition to the overall strength of an economy. Faster employment growth typically indicates a strong and growing economy, while lower unemployment tends to imply tightness in labor markets.
You can track unemployment trends in Kansas, and compare them to the US economy, using the chart below.
$136.3k
Per capita disposable income
What is Kansas' Per Capita Disposable Income?
Per capita disposable income, also known as disposable personal income (DPI), is the amount of money that the average person in an economy has available for spending and saving after accounting for income taxes. Kansas' DPI in 2026 was $136.3k, compared to the US average of $156.5k, which places it 7th out of all 50 US states.
Disposable income is regarded as a key economic indicator as trends in disposable income are indicative of the level of aggregate demand, the state of labor markets and the financial strength of households.
You can track trends in Kansas' per capita disposable income, and compare it to the US average, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Kansas Construction & Building Trends
$11,612.1tn
Nonresidential construction
$3.0tn
Residential construction
10,549
Building permits
What can construction trends tell you about a state’s economy?
In Kansas, non-residential construction was $11,612.1tn in 2026, which ranks it 40th out of all 50 US states. Residential construction was $3.0tn in 2026, which places Kansas 33rd out of all 50 US states. The number of building permits issued in Kansas in 2026 was 10,549, representing a 2.9% annualized growth rate between 2021 and 2026.
Trends in the construction sector are important because it creates jobs, income and tax revenue for a state. In addition, construction sector activity impacts other sectors in its supply chain, including manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing, transportation, and real estate, rental and leasing services. Therefore, construction trends are important indicators of the health of an economy.
You can track trends in the number of building permits issued in Kansas, and compare it to trends in the number issued in the United States as a whole, using the chart below.
State economic profile
Kansas Population Statistics
Which Counties in Kansas have the Largest Populations?
The counties with the highest populations in Kansas are Johnson County, Sedgwick County and Shawnee County, which had populations of 633,247, 534,818 and 177,171 people in 2026.
| Region | 2026 population | Annual growth 2021-26 | Share of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 633.2k | 0.6% | 21.1% |
| Sedgwick | 534.8k | 0.4% | 17.8% |
| Shawnee | 177.2k | -0.1% | 5.9% |
| Wyandotte | 162.9k | -0.5% | 5.4% |
| Douglas | 122.1k | 0.4% | 4.1% |
| Leavenworth | 85.1k | 0.6% | 2.8% |
| Riley | 70.8k | -0.3% | 2.4% |
| Butler | 69.6k | 0.5% | 2.3% |
| Reno | 61.2k | -0.1% | 2.0% |
| Saline | 52.1k | -0.6% | 1.7% |
| Crawford | 38.3k | -0.4% | 1.3% |
| Finney | 36.8k | -0.6% | 1.2% |
| Miami | 36.5k | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Ford | 33.8k | -0.2% | 1.1% |
| Geary | 33.7k | -1.3% | 1.1% |
| Cowley | 33.6k | -0.5% | 1.1% |
| Harvey | 33.1k | -0.4% | 1.1% |
| Lyon | 32.3k | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| Mcpherson | 30.1k | N/A | 1.0% |
| Montgomery | 29.7k | -0.9% | 1.0% |
| Ellis | 28.7k | -0.1% | 1.0% |
| Pottawatomie | 27.1k | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Franklin | 26.4k | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Barton | 24.4k | -0.7% | 0.8% |
| Sumner | 22.3k | -0.1% | 0.7% |
State economic profile
Kansas Demographics
In Kansas, 36.5% of the population has a Bachelors or higher. The largest ethnic group in Kansas is White, accounting for 71.9% of the state's population.
Education level in Kansas
| Education level | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Bachelors or higher | 36.5 |
| Other | 63.5 |
Race in Kansas
| Race | Share (%) |
|---|---|
| White | 71.9 |
| Hispanic | 15.0 |
| Black | 5.8 |
| Other | 3.9 |
| Asian | 3.5 |
Kansas State industry reports
IBISWorld State Industry Reports help you quickly understand how an industry performs at the state level compared with the national level, with accurate and unbiased industry information with a local focus. Use this collection to:
- Discover key local industry trends
- Identify threats and opportunities at the subnational level
- Inform your business strategies and planning
See our list of 631 Kansas industry reports.
Other states to explore
Compare Kansas’s economy with other states in the United States.
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