| Why
choose the Greater Kansas City area for a career in EMS?
Housing
Affordability • Cost of Living
• Traffic Congestion • Income
• Recreation
and Culture
Housing
Affordability
"Out of
191 metropolitan areas surveyed by the National Association of Home
Builders, Kansas City ranks thirteenth in housing affordability
during the first quarter of 2002. Kansas City consistently rates
as one of the most affordable housing markets among metropolitan
areas with populations exceeding one million. Among these metros,
Kansas City was the second most affordable market in the first quarter."
-- from the Kansas City Area Development Council Web site, www.thinkkc.com.
Cost
of Living
The American
Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association (ACCRA) rates the cost
of living for cities across the U.S., including costs for groceries,
housing, utilities, transportation, health care and miscellaneous
goods and services. ACCRA created a cost-of-living index with 100.0
as the national average for all areas. Kansas City rated 96.5 in
2003 -- below the national average, and well below many other major
metropolitan areas.
| Cost
of Living Index |
| New
York, NY |
217.7 |
|
Cleveland,
OH |
105.6 |
| San Francisco,
CA |
173.3 |
|
Denver,
CO |
105.5 |
| Los Angeles,
CA |
148.8 |
|
Milwaukee,
WI |
102.1 |
| Boston,
MA |
136.9 |
|
St. Louis,
MO |
101.5 |
| Washington,
D.C. |
138.8 |
|
Tampa,
FL |
99.3 |
| San Diego,
CA |
137.3 |
|
Phoenix,
AZ |
98.7 |
| Chicago,
IL |
130.9 |
|
Atlanta,
GA |
98.7 |
| Providence,
RI |
130.6 |
|
Orlando,
FL |
97.8 |
| Seattle,
WA |
119.1 |
|
Dallas,
TX |
97.6 |
| Philadelphia,
PA |
117.2 |
|
Indianapolis,
IN |
97.3 |
| Riverside
City, CA |
117 |
|
Pittsburgh,
PA |
96.7 |
| Portland,
OR |
114.3 |
|
Kansas
City |
96.5 |
| Minneapolis,
MN |
114 |
|
Cincinnati,
OH |
95.8 |
| Miami,
FL |
112.2 |
|
San Antonio,
TX |
95.1 |
| Baltimore,
MD |
110.3 |
|
Virginia
Beach, VA |
93.1 |
| Detroit,
MI |
109.1 |
|
Houston,
TX |
91.3 |
Traffic
Congestion
Kansas City
is one of the least congested major urban areas in the nation, according
to an annual Texas Transportation Institute study of urban mobility.
Kansas City area drivers experience an average travel delay of 15
hours per year -- compared with an average of 38 hours for all "large"
urban areas studied (areas with population between 1 million and
3 million) and 62 hours for "very large" urban areas (those
with a population over 3 million.)
Annual
Hours of Delay per Traveler
From the Texas Transportation
Insitute 2004 Urban Mobility Study |
| Atlanta,
GA |
60 |
|
Sacramento,
CA |
36 |
| Riverside-San
Bernardino, CA |
57 |
|
St. Louis,
MO |
36 |
| San Jose,
CA |
53 |
|
San Antonio,
TX |
36 |
| Orlando,
FL |
51 |
|
Columbus,
OH |
29 |
| Baltimore,
MD |
48 |
|
Virginia
Beach, VA |
28 |
| San Diego,
CA |
47 |
|
Las Vegas,
NV |
27 |
| Seattle,
WA |
46 |
|
Milwaukee,
WI |
23 |
| Denver-Aurora,
CO |
45 |
|
New Orleans,
LA |
17 |
| Phoenix,
AZ |
45 |
|
Kansas
City |
15 |
| Minneapolis-St.
Paul, MN |
42 |
|
Oklahoma
City, OK |
14 |
| Tampa-St.
Petersburg, FL |
42 |
|
Pittsburgh,
PA |
12 |
| Portland,
OR |
41 |
|
Cleveland,
OH |
11 |
| Cincinnati,
OH |
38 |
|
Buffalo,
NY |
10 |
| Indianapolis,
IN |
37 |
|
|
|
Income
Each year, the
Mid-America Regional Council conducts a salary survey of local governments.
The 2004 report includes the following annual salary ranges for
paramedics and EMTs in the region:
| Paramedics:
2004 Salary Survey Data |
Jurisdiction |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Job
Title |
| Johnson
County, KS |
$27,780 |
$55,956 |
Paramedic
& Team Lead |
| Lenexa,
KS |
$42,696 |
$64,068 |
Fire Medic |
| Liberty,
MO |
$34,500 |
$48,312 |
Firefighter/Paramedic |
| Belton,
MO |
$31,632 |
$42,396 |
Paramedic |
| Overland
Park, KS |
$33,876 |
$54,756 |
Paramedic |
| Olathe,
KS |
$39,084 |
$54,720 |
Paramedic |
| Leavenworth
County, KS |
$32,172 |
$46,584 |
Paramedic |
| North Kansas
City, MO |
$35,784 |
$53,160 |
Firefighter/Paramedic |
| Grandview,
MO |
$32,088 |
$44,916 |
Firefighter/Paramedic |
| South Metro
FPD |
$30,000 |
$45,504 |
Firefighter/Paramedic |
| Raytown,
MO |
$31,284 |
$46,464 |
Paramedic |
| Harrisonville,
MO |
$29,916 |
$40,896 |
Paramedic |
| Kearney
Fire & Rescue |
$31,824 |
$44,196 |
Firefighter/Paramedic |
| West Peculiar
FPD |
$28,500 |
$34,992 |
Firefighter/Paramedic |
| Firefighting
EMTs: 2004 Salary Survey Data |
Jurisdiction |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Job
Title |
| Independence,
MO |
$27,948 |
$40,716 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Southern
Platte FPD |
$29,592 |
$42,024 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Gladstone,
MO |
$29,952 |
$43,428 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Liberty,
MO |
$32,868 |
$46,008 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Belton,
MO |
$26,160 |
$35,064 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Ottawa,
KS |
$27,624 |
$37,476 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Leavenworth
County, KS |
$27,780 |
$40,224 |
EMT |
| North Kansas
City, MO |
$32,460 |
$48,228 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Grandview,
MO |
$28,524 |
$39,948 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| South Metro
FPD |
$25,500 |
$42,000 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Raytown
FPD |
$29,700 |
$38,244 |
Firefighter/EMT |
| Kearney
Fire & Rescue |
$26,256 |
$36,156 |
Firefighter/EMT |
Recreation
and Culture
Professional
Sports: Including Kansas City Chiefs Football •
Kansas City Comets Soccer • Kansas City Explorers World
TeamTennis • Kansas City Knights Basketball • Kansas
City Outlaws Hockey • Kansas City Royals Baseball •
Kansas City T-Bones Baseball • Kansas City Wizards Soccer
• Kansas Speedway
Performing
Arts: Including American Heartland Theatre •
Civic Opera Theatre of Kansas City • Coterie Children’s
Theatre • Gem Theater Cultural and Performing Arts Center
• Heart of America Shakespeare Festival • Kansas City
Ballet • Kansas City Repertory Theatre • Kansas City
Symphony Orchestra • Lyric Opera of Kansas City •
Starlight Theatre
Museums:
Including American Jazz Museum • American Royal Museum and
Visitors Center • Kansas City Museum and Planetarium •
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art & Design • Liberty
Memorial Museum of World War I • National Agricultural Center
and Hall of Fame • National Frontier Trails Center •
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum • Nelson-Atkins Museum of
Art • Science City • Steamboat Arabia Museum •
Toy and Miniature Museum
Other
Attractions: Including the American Royal Livestock,
Horse Show & Rodeo • Casinos • City Market •
Country Club Plaza • Crown Center • 18th and Vine
Cultural District • Festivals • Kansas City Zoo •
Liberty Memorial • Snow Creek Ski Area • Sprint IMAX
Theatre • Union Station • The Woodlands (greyhound
& horse racing) • Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun
Other
Data Sources
For more statistics
and information about the Greater Kansas City area, visit the following
sites:
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