Johnson County KS is now the largest county in the area by jobs, economy, density, office space, income and multifamily (Kansas City: sales, 2015)

[Joco a world class city]

Johnson County KS has passed Jackson county MO in Jobs, density, multi family units and Gross domestic product according to the census numbers this year on us census quick facts pages, GDP county tables and the Cushman and Wakefield market-beats multi family reports. Johnson county now has over 340,000 jobs and a median household income of over 103K with over 50% of the KC areas office space.

Johnson county jobs, income and density
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fa...nsas/PST045222

Jackson county mo jobs, income and density https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fa...ouri/PST045223

GDP by county
https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/fi.../lagdp1223.pdf

Multi family
https://cw-gbl-gws-prod.azureedge.ne...c739b9187fecf3

Office space
https://cw-gbl-gws-prod.azureedge.ne...47265e00bff773

[Joco a world class city]

Edit- wrong summary about multifamily (thought process error) thinking about single family housing. Johnson county has a little less multifamily than Jackson at 61,804 vs 78,132. Johnson County does have lower detached single family housing rates than Jackson County Missouri is what I meant as can be seen here https://data.census.gov/table?q=DP04...0US20091,29095

[GraniteStater]

That makes the cost of living for Johnson County more expensive than the vast majority of the region- factoring in housing prices, taxes, energy, (Evergy being one of the worst utilities in the US), and other factors.
It doesn’t surprise me that Kansas has seen next to zero population growth as the rest of the state outside of JOCO remains mostly undesirable with no dynamic cities. JOCO is too expensive for what it is, therefore Des Moines and Omaha are growing faster in population in percentage terms to use a few examples of metro areas with lower housing prices and strong job markets.

[Joco a world class city]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

That makes the cost of living for Johnson County more expensive than the vast majority of the region- factoring in housing prices, taxes, energy, (Evergy being one of the worst utilities in the US), and other factors.
It doesn’t surprise me that Kansas has seen next to zero population growth as the rest of the state outside of JOCO remains mostly undesirable with no dynamic cities. JOCO is too expensive for what it is, therefore Des Moines and Omaha are growing faster in population in percentage terms to use a few examples of metro areas with lower housing prices and strong job markets.

Yeah It seems lack of affordable housing is the biggest thing slowing Johnson County’s growth although it’s a very desirable place to live.

[AnywhereElse]

Originally Posted by Joco a world class city

Yeah It seems lack of affordable housing is the biggest thing slowing Johnson County’s growth although it’s a very desirable place to live.

I wouldn't base "desirably" on statistics. It is the most expensive county to live in, and most of the workers not making the big bucks have to live outside of Johnson County.

https://www.taxdefensenetwork.com/st...f%20%242%2C664.

"The median property tax in Kansas is approximately $1,625 annually. Johnson County has the highest property tax at an average of $2,664."

Johnson County also has the highest sales tax at 11.475%.

And, as a state, KS is in the top 10 when it comes to the number of sexual offenders.

KS vs MO?

https://www.kmbc.com/article/new-law...-2024/46260560

"On the Missouri side, the minimum wage will increase from $12 to $12.30 in 2024. The new minimum wage rate for all private and non-exempt businesses is based on the increase or decrease in the cost of living pursuant to the consumer price index."

https://www.workstream.us/wage-index...5%20per%20hour.

Minimum wage in KS is the same as the federal: $7.25 an hour.

Of course, the poverty level is fairly low in Johnson County, as those that don't make the big bucks live outside in the surrounding counties.

My message is: Look before you leap!

[Joco a world class city]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

I wouldn't base "desirably" on statistics. It is the most expensive county to live in, and most of the workers not making the big bucks have to live outside of Johnson County.

https://www.taxdefensenetwork.com/st...f%20%242%2C664.

"The median property tax in Kansas is approximately $1,625 annually. Johnson County has the highest property tax at an average of $2,664."

Johnson County also has the highest sales tax at 11.475%.

And, as a state, KS is in the top 10 when it comes to the number of sexual offenders.

KS vs MO?

https://www.kmbc.com/article/new-law...-2024/46260560

"On the Missouri side, the minimum wage will increase from $12 to $12.30 in 2024. The new minimum wage rate for all private and non-exempt businesses is based on the increase or decrease in the cost of living pursuant to the consumer price index."

https://www.workstream.us/wage-index...5%20per%20hour.

Minimum wage in KS is the same as the federal: $7.25 an hour.

Of course, the poverty level is fairly low in Johnson County, as those that don't make the big bucks live outside in the surrounding counties.

My message is: Look before you leap!

It depends what you mean when you say desirability. The property taxes are high in Johnson county yes but it’s a trade off for some of the best public schools In the Midwest (you get what you pay for IMO). As far as sales tax it says on the county’s website the average county wide sales tax is around 9%; curious where are you getting that 11% from? https://www.jocogov.org/department/b...sked-questions Places like downtown KC around P&L district the sales taxes hover around 12.4%. https://showmeinstitute.org/wp-conte...cts_2015_0.pdf. Also there’s a lot of jobs and low crime in Johnson county which also affects desirability. As far as the minimum wage yes that’s a joke everywhere I think. Some of the fast food workers in Johnson county getting paid 11-12$ an hour have to live in a different county, which is why I said affordable housing is such a big deal in Johnson county.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

"On the Missouri side, the minimum wage will increase from $12 to $12.30 in 2024. The new minimum wage rate for all private and non-exempt businesses is based on the increase or decrease in the cost of living pursuant to the consumer price index."

https://www.workstream.us/wage-index...5%20per%20hour.

Minimum wage in KS is the same as the federal: $7.25 an hour.

Min wage <> actual wages being paid.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Min wage <> actual wages being paid.

Well, since Greater Kansas City is a single labor market, chances are that if the guy working at the QuikTrip in Roeland Park can earn more working at the one in Westport, the QT in Roeland Park will raise wages to the point where it can attract workers who would otherwise head to Westport instead.

I'd have to wade through data to prove this, but I suspect that Missouri's higher minimum wage forces wages in the Kansas part of the KC metro above Kansas' minimum wage, given that the border between the two states is highly permeable (where JoCo touches it, it's a street you cross).

[Joco a world class city]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Min wage <> actual wages being paid.

You seem to be right, minimum wage is a joke and seems irrelevant. Here it shows the average fast food worker for example in kcmo and Overland Park. In Kansas City mo the average fast food worker (I think counting all positions) makes an average of 18$ an hour and in Overland Park it’s an average of 22$ per hour. These links break down the pay distribution. It’s the best thing I could find comparing the 2 areas.

Overland Park https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salarie...04%20an%20hour.

Kcmo https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salarie...City,MO#Hourly

[MarketStEl]

Since the comparison is at the county level rather than the city level — Johnson County can't be "a world class city," though Overland Park might be by some metrics; it's certainly the Kansas City region's premier (and maybe only) edge city — the comparisons shouldn't be between Johnson County, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., but between one of these pairs:

• Johnson County, Kan., and Jackson County, Mo.
• Overland Park, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo.

OP has long been more densely populated than KCMo because KCMo annexed a couple hundred square miles of corn and soybeans over a 35-year period beginning in 1946, and much of that territory remains in corn and soybeans.

But if you look at the county that contains the original pre-WW2 City of Kansas City, Mo. and most of its Missouri-side suburbs, Jackson County, Mo., is more densely populated than Johnson County, Kan. And much of that is due to the density of the Jackson County portion of Kansas City. JoCo has nothing like the high-rise apartment tower canyon across Brush Creek from the Country Club Plaza along West 48th Street, or even the older Armour Boulevard in Hyde Park.

Johnson County laps Jackson County for affluence, but it's mighty white, a fact that hasn't changed one whit since I was growing up there. Johnson Countians are also better educated. (Since I attended Pem-Day from 7th to 12th grade, traveling across town to get there, I went to school with a good number of JoCo residents, especially from Mission Hills.)

JoCo is the clear leader in total GDP. It also beats Jackson in GDP per capita because, while JoCo has more than half a million residents, making it one of those 145 "large" US counties, Jackson County has more than 700,000.

It seems to me that, save for the county's northern edge (Roeland Park and Merriam especially), JoCo doesn't have much in the way of affordable housing — and didn't Back Then, either. If people in JoCo are now talking about this subject, I'd consider that an advance. However, I hear grumbling that the Kansas City area as a whole is becoming less affordable — there's a thread in this forum from someone leaving the city after more than a quarter century there who blames this on the Californians moving in.