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Industry Profiles
-- WASHINGTON POST
See the latest list of the Best Places to Work in KC from the Kansas City Business Journal.
KC Careers
Whether you’re just starting your career, or looking for a C-level leadership position, you can make an impact in KC.
There are 10 Fortune 1000 companies headquartered in the KC region, and more than 25 Fortune 500 companies have a significant presence here.
Some of the nation’s most recognized brands make their home in KC – Hallmark Cards, H&R Block, Lee Jeans and Sprint-Nextel.
Kansas City’s economy is a nearly exact reflection of the U.S. economy. This means that our economy doesn’t hinge on one or two industries. Our employers and workforce are protected from dramatic peaks and valleys experienced by other markets.
- Salaries in KC are near the U.S. Average, but our cost of living is significantly lower.
- KC added 142,000 people to its population from 2000-2007, more than St. Louis.
- More than 100,000 college graduates enter the KC workforce each year from regional colleges and universities.
- Job growth in KC was 2.47% and the unemployment rate was 5.0% (August 2007)
Ready to dig in? Check out the links in this section to explore your area of expertise or the career path you’d like to follow.
Employment by Occupation, 2007
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Wages
| Average Wage Rates for Selected Occupations, 2009 | |||
| Kansas City MSA | United States | KC/US | |
| Management Occupations General & Operations Managers Sales Managers Administrative Services Managers Computer & Information Systems Managers Human Resources Managers, All Other Industrial Production Managers Construction Managers |
$47.03 46.49 51.30 37.44 51.40 45.87 41.77 39.78 |
$49.47 53.15 53.64 39.20 58.00 50.73 45.03 41.09 |
95 87 96 96 89 90 93 97 |
| Business & Financial Operations Occupations Claims Adjusters, Examiners & Investigators Cost Estimators Management Analysts Accountants & Auditors Credit Analysts Financial Examiners |
$29.43 27.00 29.32 35.12 27.88 28.07 36.55 |
$31.68 28.26 29.42 40.70 32.42 32.32 40.98 |
93 96 100 86 86 87 89 |
| Computer & Mathematical Occupations Computer Programmers Computer Software Engineers, System Software Computer Support Specialists Computer Systems Analysts Database Administrators Network & Computer Systems Administrators Network Systems & Data Communications Analysts |
$33.88 35.46 37.26 21.47 35.09 34.42 33.36 33.61 |
$36.68 35.91 46.45 22.77 38.67 35.72 34.10 36.81 |
92 99 80 94 91 96 98 97 |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations Chemical Engineers Electrical Engineers Mechanical Engineers Electrical & Electronic Engineering Technicians |
$33.02 42.01 37.41 37.02 27.29 |
$35.38 44.07 41.47 38.74 26.64 |
93 95 90 96 102 |
| Life, Physical, & Social Science Occupations Food Scientists & Technologists Microbiologists Chemists Market Research Analysts Biological Technicians Chemical Technicians |
$29.99 29.85 29.22 31.42 30.37 19.87 18.21 |
$31.57 30.95 34.61 34.97 32.45 19.78 21.11 |
95 96 84 90 94 100 95 |
| Community & Social Services Occupations | $18.71 | $20.55 | 91 |
| Legal Occupations | $42.89 | $46.07 | 93 |
| Education, Training, & Library Occupations | $20.28 | $23.81 | 85 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media Occupations | $23.19 | $24.87 | 93 |
| Healthcare Practitioners & Technical Occupations | $32.24 | $33.51 | 96 |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | $12.94 | $12.84 | 101 |
| Protective Service Occupations | $18.96 | $20.07 | 94 |
| Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations | $9.86 | $10.04 | 98 |
| Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations | $11.87 | $12.00 | 99 |
| Personal Care & Service Occupations | $11.09 | $11.87 | 93 |
| Sales and Related Occupations Cashiers Counter & Rental Clerks Parts Salespersons Retail Salespersons Advertising Sales Agents Securities, Commodities, & Fin. Ser. Sales Agents Telemarketers |
$18.49 8.96 11.75 15.60 11.70 23.17 51.56 13.31 |
$17.32 9.15 11.87 14.65 11.84 25.57 43.94 11.90 |
107 98 99 106 99 91 117 112 |
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations Bill & Account Collectors Bookkeeping, Accounting, & Auditing Clerks Credit Authorizers, Checkers, & Clerks Customer Service Representatives Order Clerks Shipping, Receiving, & Traffic Clerks Stock Clerks & Order Fillers Secretaries, Except Legal, Medical, & Executive Computer Operators Data Entry Keyers Insurance Claims & Policy Processing Clerks Office Clerks, General |
$15.68 14.38 16.30 16.27 15.55 12.99 14.92 10.65 14.27 16.89 14.21 17.51 14.31 |
$15.86 15.65 16.71 16.20 15.58 14.37 14.35 11.28 14.93 18.05 13.46 17.18 13.32 |
99 92 98 100 100 90 104 94 96 94 106 102 107 |
| Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations | $13.79 | $11.53 | 120 |
| Construction & Extraction Occupations | $23.35 | $20.84 | 112 |
| Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines Industrial Machinery Mechanics Maintenance & Repair Workers, General Maintenance Workers, Machinery |
$20.73 22.02 21.99 17.65 20.66 |
$20.30 21.94 22.19 17.56 19.03 |
102 100 99 101 109 |
| Production Occupations Electrical & Electronic Equipment Assemblers Team Assemblers Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators Machinists Tool & Die Makers Welders, Cutters, Solderers, & Brazers Packaging & Filling Machine Operators & Tenders Helpers, Production Workers |
$17.33 15.16 14.52 15.95 18.63 28.20 17.80 15.06 12.74 |
$16.01 14.76 13.87 17.10 18.72 23.43 17.61 13.13 11.54 |
108 103 105 93 100 120 101 115 110 |
| Transportation & Material Moving Occupations Conveyor Operators & Tenders Industrial Truck & Tractor Operators Laborers & Freight, Stock, & Material Movers, Hand Machine Feeders & Offbearers Packers & Packagers, Hand |
$15.08 13.55 14.94 12.44 15.03 9.71 |
$15.47 14.59 15.02 12.16 13.19 10.47 |
97 93 99 102 114 93 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment & Wage Estimates.
Note: This BLS program covers over 700 occupations, 600 of which are reported for the Kansas City metropolitan area. The occupations and data shown in this table reflect only a small part of the data available in the OES program. There are also OES reports for the Lawrence, KS MSA , the St. Joseph, MO MSA, and the Topeka, KS MSA. Additionally, the BLS produces an alternative wage survey for metropolitan areas called the National Compensation Survey. The Human Resource Management Association of Greater Kansas City also produces an annual salary survey.
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