Kansas

Overview

Kansas is known for its flat and sprawling Great Plains region and as the home of Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. The state was acquired as part of the 828,000 square miles of land bought during the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. However, the area wasn’t settled until 1812 in what is now Bonner Springs and wasn’t officially admitted to the Union until 1861. The state was named after the Kansa Native American tribe that populated the region. Today, Kansas is covered by wheat fields, oil well derricks, grain storage elevators, and herds of cattle. It is the nation's leading producer of helium, and Wichita is the nation’s leading aircraft manufacturing center. Kansas is a growing economy for small business owners looking to expand or just starting out.

Industry Stats

• There are only 16 podiatrists for Kansas’s 2.9 million residents. That’s 181,250 people for every podiatrist to serve.

• Couples spent an average of $1,137 on wedding dresses in Kansas in 2015.

• The state has more avionics technicians than animal control workers.

• There are more accountants in Kansas than there are construction laborers.

• Over $24 million was spent on wedding photographers in this state last year.

• 30,659 people work as truck drivers in Kansas.

Kansas has seen economic growth in recent years and has a lower than average unemployment rate. 2012 saw major cuts in personal and small business taxes throughout the state of Kansas, and the Kansas City metro area provides a great market for many business models. Major companies such as Sprint, Garmin, and Payless Shoes have chosen to set up headquarters in Kansas.

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