Where Do the Most New Residents of Kansas City Come From (Outside Kansas and Missouri)?

by John Egan
November 17, 2016

Since they’re a mere 30 miles apart, it’s no wonder that the Lawrence, KS, metro area reigns as the biggest supplier of new residents to the Kansas City, MO, metro area. From 2010 to 2014, an average of 3,849 people per year flocked from the Jayhawks’ nest to the City of Fountains.

In light of the Lawrence-to-KC pipeline, have you ever wondered what metro area outside Kansas or Missouri sends the most new residents to the KC area? We’ve got a hint for you: It’s about 500 miles down Interstate 35.

Kansas City, MO, has more public fountains than any city except Rome.
Photo: City of Kansas City Missouri

From 2010 to 2014, the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, metro area shipped an average of 1,701 new residents per year to KC, making it the No. 1 source of new Kansas Citians outside Kansas and Missouri, according to a LawnStarter review of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Why are people from Dallas-Fort Worth relocating to Kansas City? The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce offers a possible explanation:

If you’re not familiar with the Greater Kansas City metro area, what you’ll find may surprise you -- a vibrant city and flourishing suburban communities, rolling hills and tree-lined boulevards, a thriving economy driven by thousands of small businesses, tech startups, medical research, and headquarters of companies like Hallmark and Sprint.

Here’s our ranking of the metro areas (outside Kansas and Missouri) that sent the most new residents to the Kansas City metro area from 2010 to 2014, based on Census Bureau data released in November 2016.