Forbes report: Kansas City is a top 5 metro for high-wage jobs
June 28, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City is atop yet another national list touting its economic vibrancy.
Forbes recently released a report analyzing U.S. cities that create the most high-wage jobs, and Kansas City earned the No. 2 spot. The magazine said the City of Fountains’ low taxes and pro-business regulatory environment helped launch it into the top five cities for high-wage jobs.
“KC, better known in the rest of the country for barbecue and its music scene (though not quite Nashville), has grown a vibrant economy based in good part on service businesses in architecture and innovative administrative support models (especially for health care providers), accounting for some 100,000 jobs in professional and business services,” Forbes’ Joel Kotkin wrote.
The study analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data from the 70 largest labor markets in the country. It evaluated employment in the business services sector over time, looking at short-, medium- and long-term job trends.
Kansas City boasts 469,200 jobs in the business services sector, netting a 9.3 percent growth between 2011 to 2016, according to the report. Its growth in business service jobs outpaces tech hotbeds such as San Francisco and San Jose.
Nashville, Tenn., took the No. 1 spot in the list with 968,800 jobs in the business services sector and a 20.6 percent growth between 2011 to 2016, according to the report. Austin earned the No. 3 spot, San Francisco the No. 4 and Dallas a No. 5 ranking.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Rockhurst’s Meet the Makers: Look beyond the cubicle walls
Don’t ignore magical timing within the entrepreneur community, said marketing manager-turned-children’s book author Audrey Masoner. “Kansas City is a place where anything can happen, and you really want to keep your eyes open for connections,” Masoner told a crowd gathered Wednesday for Rockhurst University’s Meet the Makers speaker series. “It’s small enough to be very…
Chef Celina Tio embraces her celebrity brand, welcomes disruptive discomfort
Sitting down to discuss her career a few hours before a Thursday evening rush at The Belfry, celebrity chef and entrepreneur Celina Tio is all business. She’s heard (and answered) every biographical question before. Yet Tio’s eyes gleam and a smile quickly spreads across her face when the conversation turns to her customers at the…
Garmin CEO reveals startup origins, tech hiring challenges, culture of innovation
It began like any other startup, said Clifton Pemble, Garmin’s sixth employee and now CEO of the $11 billion GPS tech firm. “I joined Garmin and it was literally just days later that we were gathered in a little place over at 95th and Pflumm — two rooms in a small strip mall kind of…
1 Million Cups wraps month-long black entrepreneur showcase
Celebrating differences strengthens everyone, a white 1 Million Cups volunteer told a room full of black entrepreneurs and business owners Wednesday evening. “Diversity and inclusion are important to us year-round here at 1 Million Cups,” said Kyle Smith, communications coordinator at KCSourceLink and a 1MC Kansas City community organizer. “And I am very well aware…
