Automotive Manufacturing
In the last decade, the Kansas City region has seen significant economic investment from the automotive sector. Reinvestment in General Motors’ Fairfax, Kan. operation ($650 million in 2013 and $245 million in 2016) and Ford’s Claycomo, Mo. facility ($1.2 billion in 2011) has resulted in a surge of interest and investment from automotive suppliers looking to the KC region for new facilities.
Kansas City has been named the #2 auto industry trading hub in North America by the Brookings Institution and employs more than 15,500 individuals in the auto industry. Ford’s KC plant has been cited as its most productive worldwide, producing the new Ford Transit Van and best-selling F-150 truck.
The Basics
Employed in KC Manufacturing
83,576
JobsEQ, 4Q 2019
Note: Data represents KCADC 18-County Region
Employed in KC Transportation Manufacturing
16,281
JobsEQ, 4Q 2019
Note: Data represents KCADC 18-County Region
Annual Automobiles Made in KC
658,000
Center for Automotive Research, 2019
Value of KC Transportation Manufacturing
$16 billion
2012 Economic Census

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2018