Key Facts
- Per Capita Real GDP
- $34,770 Rank: 30/50 (2007)
- Population
- 2,802,130 Rank: 33/50 (2008)
- Per Capita Personal Income
- $34,743 Rank: 21/50 (2006)
- Unemployment Rate
- 3.80% Rank: 15/50 (2008)
- Business Tax Climate Index
- Rank: 33/50 (2008)
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Kansas: Introduction
Kansas lies in the western part of the central United States, though it does not belong entirely to one region. Northern Kansas contains the geographical center of the contiguous United States. The area of Kansas was initially obtained by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. The name Kansas means “people of the south wind,” referring to the Native American people who initially inhabited northeastern Kansas. The state also has many nicknames including the Wheat State, Sunflower State, and Jayhawk State. In 1861, Kansas joined the Union as the 34th state.
In Kansas’ early years, the economy relied heavily on farming the state’s rich soil. Wheat production first came to the state in the late 1800s and remained at the core of the state’s economy until the 1940’s. Though agriculture is not the leading component of the economy anymore, the state still produces roughly one-fifth of the total U.S. wheat harvest, making it the leading wheat producing state in the nation.
With the advent of World War II, Kansas witnessed a large increase in manufacturing activities, as the federal government moved many war industries away from coastal states. Since that time, manufacturing has become increasingly important to the state economy. The most important industry to today’s economy in terms of both income and employment is the production of transportation equipment manufacturing, especially the production of aircraft and aircraft parts.
