In an era where speed is the new incentive, Kansas stands ready to deliver on company priorities and significantly reduce the time it takes for large-scale economic development projects to enter the market. In the past year, Kansas has scored huge wins — and created more reasons for companies of all sizes to touch down in the Sunflower State.
On the heels of the most successful economic development year in the state’s history, the winds of transformation are at Kansas’ back. Key sectors saw major investments — with more than $9.5 billion in committed capital investment landing across the state. Aerospace and Defense, Advanced Manufacturing and Animal Health and Biosciences were major drivers of the state’s momentum.
The historic year saw major progress on not just economic innovation and investment — but also on national notoriety and quality of life that brings people in and keeps residents hooked.
Building a New Home for the Kansas City Chiefs
Establishing Kansas as the “Home of the Chiefs” is growing the state’s national reputation — as a place where dirt moves fast and hurdles are cleared quickly. The state-of-the-art, $3-billion domed NFL stadium in Kansas City will provide a venue to host world renowned events such as the Super Bowl, Final Four, College Football Playoffs and more — and it will power an expansive entertainment district around the stadium that includes hotels, retail and dining options.
In addition to the stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs will construct a new headquarters and training facility in Olathe, which will greatly expand the team’s regional footprint and create more mixed-use development space near that facility.
All told, the Kansas City Chiefs’ investment amounts to the largest economic development project in Kansas history, with $4 billion in capital investment and an anticipated 4,000 jobs created.
But Kansas wasn’t just making big plays in the sports and entertainment industry — the state’s key business sectors also won big, reflecting the strengths and opportunities available in Kansas today.
Energy is Building in Kansas
Kansas is clearing constraints and building for the data center boom. The state has established a new data center incentive program, but they’re not stopping with policy changes. Kansas is building ahead of demand to guarantee the available power and people that get data center projects from planning to plugged into the grid.
Thanks to a comprehensive, “all-of-the-above” approach to energy supply, Kansas has power available today — with much more on the way.
The state is channeling its long history as a renewable energy leader to place it at the forefront of innovation when it comes to welcoming and developing new energy sources — including nuclear.
Kansas made history when the Kansas City Chiefs announced their plans to build a $3 billion, state-of-the-art, domed stadium in Wyandotte County, Kansas — and relocate their headquarters and practice facility to Olathe, Kansas. The new venue will open in time for the 2031 NFL season — and solidify Kansas as a “touchdown” state!
Already home to a 1,250 MW nuclear power plant, the state also is a proving ground for two promising and emerging forms of nuclear energy — TerraPower’s Natrium reactor technology and DeepFission’s Small Modular Reactor — both of which present potential as attractive co-location options for energy-intensive projects.
By addressing energy supply and aligning workforce efforts, the state is positioned to be a preferred partner for data center projects — providing the AI revolution with a fitting home in the heartland of the country.
Defense and Aerospace Tailwinds Keep Kansas Rising
Kansas is home to one of the most concentrated aerospace clusters in the United States, with 34,000+ direct aerospace jobs, more than 65,000 total jobs supported, and over $24 billion in annual economic output. Aerospace products account for 20%+ of the state’s exports, reinforcing Kansas’ role as a global production hub for defense and commercial aviation.
And the state is leveraging its aerospace legacy to support the next generation of flight — with ready talent pipelines and an innovation ecosystem anchored by major research universities and unique integration opportunities with key military installations.
Kansas’ military presence — including McConnell Air Force Base, Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth — creates potential for collaboration, testing and workforce transition. With defense and aerospace needs on the rise — Kansas provides companies with the ability to validate technologies under operational conditions — accelerating commercialization of emerging aerospace technologies by removing barriers between R&D, testing and production.
In 2024, Kansas-based companies secured $1.6 billion in defense contracts, contributing to more than $4 billion in total federal defense spending statewide, supporting a stable and experienced supplier base with both commercial and defense capabilities.
Spanish aerospace leader Indra Group chose Kansas to help deliver on its massive $342 million air-traffic radar contract with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company’s $7.5 million investment and 31 new jobs in Kansas will allow for rapid scale-up of its domestic production efforts — compressing an eight-year delivery timeline into just two and a half years.
The bottom line: Kansas is where key aerospace players go when they need to move fast — with ready infrastructure and reliable workforce pipelines to deliver certainty.
Animal Health and Bioscience Thrives in Kansas
Another sector where the state’s strengths are opening new doors is in the field of animal health and bioscience.
As the heart of the Animal Health Corridor — the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world — Kansas is an epicenter of bioscience innovation. Kansas State University and the University of Kansas help power an attractive ecosystem for players in food processing, animal health, pet foods and pharmaceuticals.
And the sector notched another transformational win when Merck Animal Health announced the expansion of its monumental manufacturing facility and research and development laboratories in De Soto. The $860 million expansion will create an additional 483 high-tech, high-wage jobs for the state’s skilled STEM graduates.
Speed, Sites and Certainty Are Changing the Game in Kansas
Speed to market, workforce readiness, regulatory certainty, access to R&D and test environments, and supply chain reliability increasingly determine where projects land. Kansas has embraced a new posture of growth that delivers the certainty companies are seeking, at the speed they need.
The state’s winning playbook provides even more reasons to touch down in Kansas. For companies looking to quickly scale with confidence, Kansas offers a clear advantage: An environment built for execution.
Wichita has been the U.S. headquarters for Bombardier — and the global headquarters for Bombardier Defense — since 2022. The company’s footprint in the Air Capital of the World includes a large service center that supports their entire family of jets, along with one of the world’s leading flight test centers. Bombardier Defense provides in-service support and upgrades to the U.S. Air Force’s expanding Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) fleet. A top-notch aviation workforce and a unique environment for military partnerships help aerospace and defense businesses reach new heights in Kansas.
Learn more about “The State of Unexpected” at kansascommerce.gov.
