How KC’s Entrepreneurial Community Ranks Nationally

We Create KC, our annual report on the state of Kansas City entrepreneurship, will hit the shelves and URLs this Friday, April 6. Each year, the report focuses on the six imperatives the community laid out to reach Kansas City’s goal of becoming America’s most entrepreneurial city:

• maximizing entrepreneurial support resources
• creating a strong entrepreneurial pipeline
• building talent
• engaging the corporate community
• increasing available startup and growth capital
• telling the story of KC entrepreneurship

This year especially focuses on that last bullet, on how KC is building—and telling—story of KC entrepreneurship: from the inspiration of our entrepreneurs, to the storytellers who share what’s happening in KC entrepreneurship in our town and beyond our borders and finally to the progress we’ve made as a community over the past 5 (it’s our fifth report) and 15 years (our birthday is coming up!). Check out our timeline of KC entrepreneurship in the back of report.

This final imperative is a community effort—from local media outfits showcasing startups that are creating jobs, to you calling your friend on the coast to tell them about the cool, local restaurant you went to last weekend.

All of this goodwill, plus awesome results like an increase in available capital to KC entrepreneurs, go a long way to spread the good word about Kansas City and the entrepreneurs who make us mighty. So much so, that we often catch the attention of national list makers. Here’s a look back on where we landed in 2017:

Kansas City entrepreneurs are job-creating powerhouses

New jobs often grab the headlines. In 2017, entrepreneurs stole the spotlight when we released our We Create Jobs report, unveiling for the first time just how many jobs startups create each year–16,376 on average.

In order for us to make the case that Kansas City is one of the greatest places in the world to live, work and play, we must have high quality jobs to accompany our low cost of living and world class cultural institutions.

And it turns out, we’re doing pretty good in the job category. Here are a few highlights that had us high-fiving the time clock in 2017:

#5 Top City for College Grads, Yahoo Finance

Recent college grads do not have to choose between a paycheck or a roof over their head in the Kansas City region. With a combination of good-paying jobs, affordable rent and healthy job market, KC ranks number 5.

#5 City for Tech Jobs, Money

With a median early career income of $57,200, the KC tech scene is a hub for project managers, engineers and developers. Learn more about opportunities available to tech entrepreneurs.  

#4 City for Manufacturing Job Growth, Forbes

Kansas City is a top city for growth in manufacturing based on recent economic trends and a three percent increase in sector jobs since 2016.

#4 Best City for Job Hunters, Fast Company

Here are the top five industries for career opportunities in KC: healthcare, automotive, retail, finance and insurance, business.

#3 Best City for Jobs, Glassdoor

Rankings were based on number of job openings, job satisfaction, median base salary and median home value.

#2 City for High Wage Jobs, Forbes

With a 28.4 percent increase in growth since 2011, KC boasts more than 100,000 jobs in professional and business services.

#2 Best Job Market for 2017 College Grads, ZipRecruiter

With an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent and median rent of $850, Kansas City is the perfect place to start a career.

Starting a business in Kansas City is a great idea

Each one of the six imperatives play a part in making Kansas City a great place to start and grow a business. Our 240+ Resource Partners provide knowledge and guidance, corporations can be first customers, capital adds fuel to the fire . . .

If you’re ready to take advantage of all KC has to offer for fledgling businesses, then you need to download our Kansas City startup guide. You’ll learn all the ingredients that come together to make KC such a wonderful place to start a business.  

#4 Best City for Startups in U.S., Entrepreneur

Within the last two years, 71 food based startups alone have sprouted in the KC region.

Top 25 City for Tech and Entrepreneurship, Cushman & Wakefield

Kansas City ranks alongside Silicon Valley as a top tech city in the U.S. Access to talent, capital investment and opportunity for growth were all factors in determining the top cities.

Top 35 Large City to Start a Business, WalletHub

KC comes in at number 32. The ranking is determined by key metrics, such as office-space affordability, five-year-business-survival rate and more.

And here’s one more ranking, let’s take it home on a high note:

#2 City for Women in Tech, SmartAsset

This ranking is based on gender pay gap, income after housing cost, women as a percentage of the tech workforce and four-year tech employment growth.

Encore, you say? Okay, one from 2016:

#1 City for Business Growth, Wendover-Insight PRM Business Growth Report

This report looks at key indicators of growth: relocation, expansion into more space or opening new locations.

First Step to Starting a Business in Kansas City

If all this good news has you pumped to kickstart your own entrepreneurial journey, get your Personalized Action Plan and see what resources in Kansas City can help you go straight to the top of the list in 2018.  

These ratings and rankings were originally posted on the Kansas City Area Development Council website.