Ingram's March 2023

out light aircraft and military planes, as well as missiles and aircraft parts. Railroad cars and locomotives are also made here. Feeding off the raw might of agri cultural output, food processing is also a key component of the economy, with flour milling, animal feed production, and a thriving meat-packing sector. Much of that is directly linked to the production of cattle and calves, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of ag ricultural output—five times the eco

nomic impact of the wheat production for which the state is also famous. Kan sas is the No. 1 wheat-producing state, pouring out 15 percent of U.S. wheat production, and most of it with the hard-red winter variety. Farming was the staple of the U.S. economy in the 19th century; manufac turing took over in the 20th. For the 21st century, Kansas is positioning it self as a key player in the life-sciences realm. In 2004, it created a state fund ing authority for bioscience develop

At a Glance: Counties: Barber, Barton, Clark, Coman che, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Kearny, Kiowa, Lane, Meade, Morton, Ness, Pawnee, Pratt, Rush, Scott, Seward, Staf ford, Stanton, Stevens, Wichita District Population: 209,082 Biggest City: Garden City Other Population Centers: Liberal, Dodge City, Great Bend Major Employers: Tyson Meats, National Beef 2021 GDP: $12,718,481,000 GDP State Rank: 4 GDP Growth 2017–2021: 1.99% ment and primed that pump with more than half a billion dollars to spur the creation of new companies that could broaden and diversify the economy. As a result, the state has realized hundreds of start-up ventures, mainly clustered around the research assets of the University of Kansas Medical Cen ter in Kansas City, the largest public university settings being in Lawrence, Manhattan, and Wichita. They deal in each strand of the life sciences triad: human health, animal health, and plant science. Perhaps the biggest plum in the life- sciences cornucopia is the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, scheduled to be fully operational this year after completion of the facility and certifica tion of safety processes. The $1.5 bil lion facility in Manhattan, adjacent to the K-State campus, will be the nation’s premier defense against man-made and biological threats to the country’s food supply. Underpinning all of that is a network of public and private universities with academic programming vital to those sectors and more, major research and acute-care hospitals, outstanding qual ity of life, and extreme affordability. DISTRICT 7: SOUTHWEST

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DISTRICT 5: SOUTH CENTRAL

DISTRICT 6: NORTHWEST

At a Glance: Counties: Butler, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, King man, Marion, McPherson, Reno, Rice, Sedgwick, Sumner District Population: 817,649 Biggest City: Wichita Other Population Centers: El Dorado, Newton, McPherson, Arkansas City Major Employers: Spirit Aero Systems, Textron Aviation, Bombardier, Wichita State Univ. 2021 GDP: $41,443,263,000 GDP State Rank: 2 GDP Growth 2017–2021: 1.94%

At a Glance: Counties: Cheyenne, Decatur, El lis, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Russell, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego, Wallace District Population: 94,839 Biggest City: Hays Major Employers: Fort Hays State University, Hess Services, HaysMed 2021 GDP: $5,099,096,000 GDP State Rank: 7 GDP Growth 2017–2021: 1.98% Other Population Centers: Goodland, Smith Center,

GDP Growth State Rank: 6 Per Capita GDP: $50,685.88

GDP Growth State Rank: 2 Per Capita GDP: $53,765.81

GDP Growth State Rank: 7 Per Capita GDP: $60,830.11

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