eCommerce
Today, 52 percent of U.S. consumers are more likely to make a purchase online as opposed to buying the same item in-store. As the crossroads of North America, Kansas City offers a strong advantage as 85 percent of the U.S. population can be reached from a Kansas City location within two days or less.
The Kansas City region’s central location and available skilled workforce are key to a successful eCommerce strategy. These advantages have attracted eCommerce and distribution companies to create more than 10,650 jobs, invest $1.9 billion and occupy 17.8 million square feet in the KC region in the past five years.
KC Manufacturing and Logistics Jobs
125,392
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018 QCEW
KC Location Advantages
Real Estate Ready Market
More than 60 million square feet of industrial development has been built in the Kansas City region since 2012, a majority of it built on a speculative basis. KC's move-in ready, existing building inventory and selection of vertical-ready sites enables eCommerce companies to secure their real estate and begin operations or development of their facility immediately. Kansas City is an aggressively priced industrial market with a number of incentive programs to support eCommerce and distribution operations. Explore regional real estate opportunities.
Location
Kansas City offers direct access to Midwest population centers, coastal markets and North America. Being located in the geographical center of the United States, plus the existing transportation infrastructure, makes Kansas City one of the nation’s largest hubs for warehousing, distribution and manufacturing operations. Kansas City’s central location and being at the intersection of four major US Interstate Highways (I-35, I-70, I-29, and I-49), 85% of the U.S. can be reached from a Kansas City location within in 2 days or less. The region is known as one of the nation’s top five trucking centers.
Rail Access
Kansas City is the largest rail center in the U.S. by tonnage, and is served by four class 1 rail lines including: Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific. Four of the class 1 rail lines have intermodal facilities that are significant hubs in the national network. Three of these facilities have industrial park developments adjacent to the rail facilities and real estate ready for new occupants.
Workforce Pipeline
Kansas City understands supply chain. A diligent, Midwestern work ethic and access to education are just a few reasons why the workforce in Kansas City is one of the best in the country. Currently there are several local training programs in the area focused on preparing the labor force for the current and upcoming jobs in the transportation and logistics industry. Numerous educational institutions around the Kansas City region have supply chain management programs in place. The University of Kansas is home to one of the top 25 for U.S. university supply chain management programs. As a supply chain hub, the Kansas City region is dedicated to identifying the training needs for the industry and advancing the best supply chain workforce available.
Options
With two states, 18 counties and 50 plus communities, Kansas City gives companies something all consumers crave—choice. Two state tax structures, double the incentive programs and urban and suburban location options. All offered in one market—OneKC.
Labor Snapshot
The real estate-ready market, central location, transportation infrastructure access, and skilled workforce of KC makes it attractive to eCommerce and distribution companies. Explore the labor snapshot below to better understand the KC workforce advantage.
For more information regarding eCommerce and logistics in the Kansas City region, visit
KC SmartPort's website. Or reach out to us below: