For years, many who sought to excel in a creative or professional field headed to the coasts. Cities like New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., were seen as the epicenters of opportunity, while Midwestern metropolitan areas like Kansas City and St. Louis struggled to retain their talent.
This may no longer be true. A new report from Heartland Forward, Heartland of Talent, highlights these cities as destinations for the creative class—individuals in knowledge, technology and artistic sectors. The findings are compelling:
- Kansas City boasts a 45.4% concentration of creative-class jobs, ranking 19th among large metropolitan areas. Notably, it stands 7th in growth, with an increase of nearly five percentage points between 2019 and 2023.
- St. Louis follows closely, with a 44.8% concentration, placing it 20th in the rankings.
Educational attainment further underscores this trend:
- Kansas City has seen its share of college graduates rise to 40.8%, a 3.1 percentage point increase since 2019, surpassing the national average.
- St. Louis experienced a 3.4 percentage point uptick, bringing its college graduate population to 39.1%.
I’ve been critical of proposals for attracting the “creative class” for years, especially when it requires certain types of economic development subsidies. While this report does refer to the value of amenities, something report author Richard Florida has done for years, it does so after crediting simple housing affordability.
It’s also important to note that references to Kansas City in this report encompass both the Missouri and Kansas portions of the metropolitan area. This distinction is crucial, as the economic vitality varies between the two. According to a 2020 report by the Show-Me Institute, the Kansas side of the Kansas City metropolitan area outperforms the Missouri side in several key metrics featured in the Heartland study, including population growth, job creation, GDP, income levels, and educational attainment. If evaluated independently, the Missouri portion would likely rank lower nationally across these indicators.
Certainly, there is much to recommend Missouri’s two largest metro areas over places such as Washington, D.C. Affordability and the resultant higher quality of life are what brought me to Kansas City 20 years ago. Being a more attractive place to live and work, however, should not lull us into a false sense of security. It does not change the fact that Missouri is not performing well comparted to other states—there is much work ahead.
