Editing Kansas (section)

==Economy==
{{See also|Kansas locations by per capita income|Golden Triangle of Meat-packing}}
Kansas's total gross domestic product was $226 billion in 2023.<ref name="s635">{{cite web | last=Account | first=Economic | title=GDP by State | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=2024-03-29 | url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state | access-date=2024-05-20 | archive-date=August 17, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817010902/https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state | url-status=live }}</ref> The state's 2023 [[per capita income]] was $63,732, which ranked 29th among U.S. states, and [[median household income]] was measured at $68,925.<ref name="r095">{{cite web | last=Account | first=Economic | title=Personal Income by State | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=2024-03-29 | url=https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state | access-date=2024-05-20 | archive-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520010339/https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="u858">{{cite web | publisher=United States Census Bureau | title=S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months | website=Explore Census Data | url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901 | access-date=2024-05-22 | archive-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520023444/https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Total Employment of the metropolitan areas in the State of Kansas by total Non-farm Employment in 2016<ref>[https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/uploads/Economic%20Report%202017.pdf 2017 Kansas Economic Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220154903/https://klic.dol.ks.gov/admin/gsipub/htmlarea/uploads/Economic%20Report%202017.pdf |date=February 20, 2021 }} Retrieved April 8, 2020.</ref>

*Kansas Portion of the [[Kansas City metropolitan area|Kansas City MO-KS MSA]]: 468,400 non-farm, accounting for 40.9% of state GDP in 2015<ref>[https://www.marc.org/Data-Economy/pdf/2020EconomicForecast.aspx 2020 Economic Forecast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116065634/https://www.marc.org/Data-Economy/pdf/2020EconomicForecast.aspx |date=November 16, 2019 }} Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved April 8, 2020.</ref>
*[[Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area|Wichita, KS MSA]]: 297,300 non-farm
*[[Topeka metropolitan area, Kansas|Topeka, KS MSA]]: 112,600 non-farm
*[[Douglas County, Kansas|Lawrence KS, MSA]]: 54,000 non-farm
*[[Manhattan, Kansas, metropolitan area|Manhattan, KS MSA]]: 44,200 non-farm
*Total employment: 1,184,710
Total Number of employer establishments in 2016: 74,884<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/KS|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Kansas|website=www.census.gov|access-date=November 1, 2019|archive-date=November 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101085350/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/KS|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, the job growth rate was 0.8%, among the lowest rates in America with only "10,900 total nonfarm jobs" added that year.<ref name="kansascity_2015">{{citation |url = http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article47176275.html |first = Yael T. |last = Abouhalkah |title = Kansas has low but misleading unemployment rate under Gov. Sam Brownback |date = November 30, 2015 |access-date = February 26, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170227150112/http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/yael-t-abouhalkah/article47176275.html |archive-date = February 27, 2017}}</ref> As of April 2016, the state's unemployment rate was 4.2%.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bls.gov/lau/ |title = Local Area Unemployment Statistics |publisher = Bls.gov |access-date = February 26, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20100828194814/http://www.bls.gov/lau/ |archive-date = August 28, 2010}}</ref>

The State of Kansas had a $350&nbsp;million budget shortfall in February 2017.<ref name="WP_2017_revolt"/> In February 2017, S&P downgraded Kansas's credit rating to AA−.<ref name="NYT_S&P_ratings_2017"/>

Nearly 90% of Kansas's land is devoted to agriculture.<ref name=":0"/> The state's agricultural outputs are cattle, sheep, wheat, [[sorghum]], [[soybeans]], cotton, [[pig|hogs]], [[maize|corn]], and salt. As of 2018, there were 59,600 farms in Kansas, 86 (0.14%) of which are [[Organic certification|certified organic farms]].<ref name=":0"/> The average farm in the state is about 770 acres (more than a square mile), and in 2016, the average cost of running the farm was $300,000.<ref name=":0"/>

By far, the most significant agricultural crop in the state is wheat. Eastern Kansas is part of the [[Grain Belt]], an area of major grain production in the central United States. Approximately 40% of all winter wheat grown in the U.S. is grown in Kansas.<ref name=":0"/> Roughly 95% of the wheat grown in the state is [[hard red winter wheat]].<ref name=":0"/> During 2016, farmers of conventionally grown wheat farmed 8.2&nbsp;million acres and harvested an average of 57 bushels of wheat per acre.<ref name=":0"/>

The industrial outputs are transportation equipment, commercial and private aircraft, food processing, publishing, chemical products, machinery, apparel, petroleum, and mining.

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width: 13em; font-size: 85%"
|+ Largest private employers (as of 2016)<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?nid=483#A |title = Kansas Department of Commerce—Official Website—Economic Overview Charts |publisher = Kansascommerce.com |access-date = April 4, 2018 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171215091244/http://www.kansascommerce.com/index.aspx?NID=483#A |archive-date = December 15, 2017}}</ref>
|-
! Rank
! Business
! Employees
! Location
! Industry
|-
| 1
| [[Spirit AeroSystems]]
| 12,000
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| Aviation
|-
| 2
| [[Sprint Corporation]]
| 7,600
| [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]
| Telecommunications
|-
| 3
| [[Cessna|Textron Aviation]]
| 6,812
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| Aviation
|-
| 4
| [[General Motors]]
| 4,000
| [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]]
| Automotive manufacturing
|-
| 5
| [[Bombardier Aerospace]]
| 3,500
| [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]
| Aviation
|-
| 6
| [[Black & Veatch]]
| 3,500
| [[Overland Park, Kansas|Overland Park]]
| Engineering consulting
|-
| 7
| [[National Beef Packing Company|National Beef]]
| 3,500
| [[Liberal, Kansas|Liberal]]
| Food products
|-
| 8
| [[Tyson Foods]]
| 3,200
| [[Holcomb, Kansas|Holcomb]]
| Food products
|-
| 9
| Performance Contracting
| 2,900
| [[Lenexa, Kansas|Lenexa]]
| Roofing and siding
|-
| 10
| [[National Beef Packing Company|National Beef]]
| 2,500
| [[Dodge City, Kansas|Dodge City]]
| Food products
|}

The state's economy is also heavily influenced by the aerospace industry. Several large aircraft corporations have manufacturing facilities in Wichita and Kansas City, including [[Spirit AeroSystems]], [[Bombardier Aerospace]] ([[LearJet]]), and [[Textron Aviation]] (a merger of the former [[Cessna]], [[Hawker Aircraft|Hawker]], and [[Beechcraft]] brands). [[Boeing]] ended a decades-long history of manufacturing in Kansas between 2012 and 2013.

Major companies headquartered in Kansas include the [[Garmin]] ([[Olathe, Kansas|Olathe]]), [[YRC Worldwide]] (Overland Park), and [[Koch Industries]] (with national headquarters in [[Wichita, Kansas|Wichita]]).

Kansas is also home to three major military installations: [[Fort Leavenworth]] (Army), [[Fort Riley]] (Army), and [[McConnell Air Force Base]] (Air Force). Approximately 25,000 active duty soldiers and airmen are stationed at these bases which also employ approximately 8,000 civilian DoD employees. The U.S. Army Reserve also has the 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command headquartered in Wichita that serves reservists and their units from around the region. The Kansas Air National Guard has units at [[Forbes Field]] in Topeka and the 184th Intelligence Wing in Wichita. The Smoky Hill Weapons Range, a detachment of the Intelligence Wing, is one of the largest and busiest bombing ranges in the nation. During World War II, Kansas was home to numerous Army Air Corps training fields for training new pilots and aircrew. Many of those airfields live on today as municipal airports.

===Energy===
[[File:NRC Commissioner Annie Caputo tours Wolf Creek Generating Station (43783189581).jpg|thumb|NRC workers at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in [[Burlington, Kansas|Burlington]].]]
[[File:Kansas electricity production by type.webp|thumb|Kansas electricity production by type.]]
Kansas has vast renewable resources and is a top producer of [[Wind power in Kansas|wind energy]] in the US, with an installed capacity of about 6,100&nbsp;[[Megawatts]]&nbsp;(MW) from nearly 3,200 wind turbines in 2019. Wind generated the [[List of power stations in Kansas|largest share of electricity]] from the state at 41%. An additional 700&nbsp;MW of capacity was scheduled to come online during 2020. Kansas is also a leading national producer of renewable [[ethanol]] and [[biodiesel]] fuels at nearly 600&nbsp;million gallons per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=KS |title=Kansas State Energy Profile Analysis |publisher=[[U.S. Energy Information Administration]] |accessdate=April 1, 2021 |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321082747/https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=KS |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kansas is one of 28 states with a nuclear power plant, Wolf Creek in Burlington, which houses a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor. The plant came online in 1985, and cost over $5 billion to construct. It is owned by [[Evergy]].

Kansas is ranked eighth in [[Petroleum in the United States|U.S. petroleum extraction]]. Production has experienced a steady decline as the state's limited economical reserves especially from the [[Anadarko Basin]] are depleted. Since [[Price of oil|oil prices]] bottomed in 1999, oil production in Kansas has remained fairly constant, with an average monthly rate of about {{convert|2.8|Moilbbl|m3|abbr=off|sp=us}} in 2004. The [[Oil price increases since 2003|recent higher prices]] have made [[carbon sequestration|carbon dioxide sequestration]] and other oil recovery techniques more economical.

Kansas is also ranked eighth in U.S. natural gas production. Production has steadily declined since the mid-1990s with the gradual depletion of the [[Hugoton Natural Gas Area|Hugoton Natural Gas Field]]—the state's largest field which extends into Oklahoma and Texas. In 2004, slower declines in the Hugoton gas fields and increased [[coalbed methane]] production contributed to a smaller overall decline. Average monthly production was over {{convert|32|e9cuft|km3|abbr=off|sp=us}}.

===Taxes===
{{Main|Kansas Senate Bill Substitute HB 2117}}
Tax is collected by the [[Kansas Department of Revenue]].

Revenue shortfalls resulting from lower than expected tax collections and slower growth in personal income following a 1998 permanent tax reduction have contributed to the substantial growth in the state's debt level as bonded debt increased from $1.16&nbsp;billion in 1998 to $3.83&nbsp;billion in 2006. Some increase in debt was expected as the state continues with its 10-year Comprehensive Transportation Program enacted in 1999.

In 2003, Kansas had three income brackets for income tax calculation, ranging from 3.5% to 6.45%.

The state sales tax in Kansas is 6.15%. Various cities and counties in Kansas have an additional local sales tax. Except during the 2001 [[recession]] (March–November 2001), when monthly sales tax collections were flat, collections have trended higher as the economy has grown and two rate increases have been enacted. If there had been no change in sales tax rates or in the economy, the total sales tax collections for 2003 would have been $1,797&nbsp;million, compared to $805.3&nbsp;million in 1990. However, they instead amounted to $1,630&nbsp;million an inflation-adjusted reduction of 10%. The state sales tax is a combined destination-based tax, meaning a single tax is applied that includes state, county, and local taxes, and the rate is based on where the consumer takes possession of the goods or services. Thanks to the destination structure and the numerous local special taxing districts, Kansas has 920 separate sales tax rates ranging from 6.5% to 11.5%.<ref>{{cite web |title = Publication 1700 |url = https://www.ksrevenue.org/salesratechanges.html |website = Kansas Department of Revenue |access-date = April 4, 2018 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180405025326/https://www.ksrevenue.org/salesratechanges.html |archive-date = April 5, 2018}}</ref> This taxing scheme, known as "[[Streamlined Sales Tax]]" was adopted on October 1, 2005, under the governorship of [[Kathleen Sebelius]].<ref>{{cite web |title = Streamlined Sales Tax—Kansas |url = http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/index.php?page=kansas |website = Streamlined Sales Tax |access-date = April 4, 2018 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180405090353/http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/index.php?page=kansas |archive-date = April 5, 2018}}</ref> Groceries are subject to sales tax in the state. All sales tax collected is remitted to the state department of revenue, and local taxes are then distributed to the various taxing agencies.

As of June 2004, [[Moody's Investors Service]] ranked the state 14th for net tax-supported debt per capita. As a percentage of personal income, it was at 3.8%—above the median value of 2.5% for all rated states and having risen from a value of less than 1% in 1992. The state has a statutory requirement to maintain cash reserves of at least 7.5% of expenses at the end of each fiscal year; however, lawmakers can vote to override the rule, and did so during the most recent budget agreement.

During his campaign for the 2010 election, Governor [[Sam Brownback]] called for a complete "phase out of Kansas's income tax".<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/> In May 2012, Governor Brownback signed into law the '''Kansas Senate Bill Substitute HB 2117'''.<ref name="HB2117">{{cite web |title = Senate Substitute for HB 2117 by Committee on Taxation—Reduction of income tax rates for individuals and determination of income tax credits; severance tax exemptions; homestead property tax refunds; food sales tax refunds |url = http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/measures/hb2117/ |access-date = October 29, 2014 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141030002120/http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/measures/hb2117/ |archive-date = October 30, 2014}}</ref> Starting in 2013, the "ambitious tax overhaul" trimmed income tax, eliminated some corporate taxes, and created [[Flow-through entity|pass-through income]] tax exemptions, he raised the sales tax by one percent to offset the loss to state revenues but that was inadequate. He made cuts to education and some state services to offset lost revenue.<ref name="stltoday_2013">{{cite news |url = http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-louisiana-s-lawmakers-realize-what-missouri-s-don-t/article_6995e1b3-f8d4-5748-bcde-57c1bf434be7.html |title = Editorial: Louisiana's lawmakers realize what Missouri's don't: Income tax cuts are suicidal |date = April 13, 2013 |author = Editorial Board |access-date = February 25, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140820070334/http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/editorial-louisiana-s-lawmakers-realize-what-missouri-s-don-t/article_6995e1b3-f8d4-5748-bcde-57c1bf434be7.html |archive-date = August 20, 2014}}</ref> The tax cut led to years of budget shortfalls, culminating in a $350&nbsp;million budget shortfall in February 2017. From 2013 to 2017, 300,000 businesses were considered to be pass-through income entities and benefited from the tax exemption. The tax reform "encouraged tens of thousands of Kansans to claim their wages and salaries as income from a business rather than from employment."<ref name="WP_2017_revolt">{{citation |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/22/republicans-real-live-experiment-with-kansass-economy-survives-a-revolt-from-their-own-party/ |title = Republicans' 'real-live experiment' with Kansas's economy survives a revolt from their own party |newspaper = The Washington Post |author = Max Ehrenfreund |date = February 22, 2017 |access-date = February 25, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170224133856/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/22/republicans-real-live-experiment-with-kansass-economy-survives-a-revolt-from-their-own-party/ |archive-date = February 24, 2017}}</ref>

The economic growth that Brownback anticipated never materialized. He argued that it was because of "low wheat and oil prices and a downturn in aircraft sales".<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/> The state general fund debt load was $83&nbsp;million in fiscal year 2010 and by fiscal year 2017 the debt load sat at $179&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-12/kansas-state-government-bond-debt-surges-2-billion-2010?start=2|title=Kansas state government bond debt surges $2&nbsp;billion since 2010|last=Carpenter|first=Tim|work=The Topeka Capital|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502211110/http://www.cjonline.com/news/local/2017-01-12/kansas-state-government-bond-debt-surges-2-billion-2010?start=2|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, Governor Brownback earned the title of "most unpopular governor in America". Only 26 percent of Kansas voters approved of his job performance, compared to 65 percent who said they did not.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://morningconsult.com/state-governor-rankings/|title=America's Most (and Least) Popular Governors—Morning Consult|work=Morning Consult|access-date=May 2, 2018|archive-date=May 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501103923/https://morningconsult.com/state-governor-rankings/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the summer of 2016 [[S&P Global]] Ratings downgraded Kansas's credit rating.<ref name="NYT_S&P_ratings_2017"/> In February 2017, S&P lowered it to AA−.<ref name="NYT_S&P_ratings_2017">{{citation |title = Kansas Lawmakers Uphold Governor's Veto of Tax Increases |first = Alan |last = Blinder |url = https://nyti.ms/2lwNatr |newspaper = The New York Times |date = February 22, 2017 |access-date = February 25, 2017 |archive-date = February 20, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153324/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/kansas-governor-sam-brownback-tax-veto.html?smid=pl-share |url-status = live }}</ref>

In February 2017, a bi-partisan coalition presented a bill that would repeal the pass-through income exemption, the "most important provisions of Brownback's overhaul", and raise taxes to make up for the budget shortfall. Brownback vetoed the bill but "45 GOP legislators had voted in favor of the increase, while 40 voted to uphold the governor's veto."<ref name="WP_2017_revolt"/> On June 6, 2017, a coalition of Democrats and newly elected Republicans overrode [Brownback's] veto and implemented tax increases to a level close to what it was before 2013.<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/> Brownback's tax overhaul was described in a June 2017 article in ''[[The Atlantic]]'' as the United States' "most aggressive experiment in conservative economic policy".<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017">{{cite news |work = The Atlantic |url = https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/kansass-conservative-tax-experiment-is-dead/529551/ |title = The Death of Kansas's Conservative Experiment |date = June 7, 2017 |access-date = June 7, 2017 |first = Russell |last = Berman |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170612210830/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/kansass-conservative-tax-experiment-is-dead/529551/ |archive-date = June 12, 2017}}</ref> The drastic tax cuts had "threatened the viability of schools and infrastructure" in Kansas.<ref name="theatlantic_tax_experiment_dead_2017"/>