Kansas City’s job market expects to keep growing in 2027. What that means for workers

After a meager year in 2025, Kansas City’s regional economy did better than expected in 2026, at least when it comes to adding new jobs. Growth is projected to continue in 2027 — just a bit slower. That’s the top-line takeaway from the Mid-America Regional Council’s annual economic forecast, presented this month by Frank Lenk, director of MARC’s office of economic research. The economic forecast isn’t a crystal ball. Lenk and his team use the latest jobs, population and other data to analyze recent trends and try to get a sense of what’s to come for Kansas City. “The (local) economy is doing well, but workers aren’t necessarily feeling it,” Lenk said. “Demographics are really driving a lot of the changes, and they are actually creating more of a low-growth environment.” The region added an estimated 12,800 jobs in 2026, which is nearly three times as many as in 2025.

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