We're Growing

Since 1980, over 500,000 new residents have come to Greater Kansas City, and we expect an additional 750,000 to join us by 2040. Where will they live, work and play?

We're Spreading Out

In the past 30 years, growth has occurred primarily on the region's edges. Our urbanized area grew 36% between 1982 and 1997.

We have also developed in a relatively low-density fashion. Between 1982 and 1997, our urbanized area grew twice as fast as the population.

Over time, traditional urban centers have become less attractive, and some have declined. Half of the region's residents live in census tracts that decreased in population between 1990 and 2000.

We're Becoming More Diverse

The region is growing older as the baby boom generation matures. People aged 65 and over will nearly double in the next 20 years.

Housing preferences are also changing. Today only 25% of households in Greater Kansas City are married couples with children, yet we build most new housing for this demographic.

Our population is becoming more diverse as immigrants from other places and cultures — primarily Latin America and Asia — find their way to our region and call it home. Between 1980 and 2000, the non-white population in the metro grew from 15.3% to 27.5%.

The various needs and expectations of these groups will pose challenges for planning our transportation system.

We're Creating Jobs

The Kansas City metro area has enjoyed a high employment rate and this trend is expected to continue into the future (despite the current economic recession). We've grown from 783,800 jobs in 1980 to 1.2 million in 2009. While the rate of growth in new jobs will slow in the future, we expect to add 500,000 more jobs by 2040.

At the same time that the number of jobs grows, the types of jobs continue to change. For example, services jobs are expected to grow, and while manufacturing jobs are projected to decline.

We're Going Green

Citizens, businesses and local governments are becoming more concerned about the impacts of our choices and development patterns. We seek a healthy and responsible balance — to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.