Economic Impact of Immigration in Kansas City and the Bi-State Region

Abstract

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation commissioned researchers from the Center for Science Technology & Economic Policy at the Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas to study the characteristics and economic impact of immigration in the states of Kansas and Missouri with a special focus on the Kansas City metropolitan area. This report documents the characteristics of immigrants in these three geographic areas. Where relevant, we make comparisons with other metro areas and with the US as a whole. We compare the foreign‐born population with the native‐born population to try to identify the economic niches that immigrants fill in our communities and to assess some of the challenges they may face. Our report paints a statistical portrait of immigration in the bi‐state area.