Kansas City is one of the most Canadian export-dependent cities in the US. Here’s why
President Donald Trump’s trade wars continue with additional 25% tariffs on auto imports. These will affect Kansas City drivers and auto workers, including those at the Ford plant in Claycomo, north of the river.
The Kansas City area sends cars, chemicals and agricultural products to the U.S.’s northern neighbors. And a new study of 41 American cities suggests that Kansas City relies on those exports more than most.
Kansas City is the third most dependent U.S. metro on Canadian exports, according to an analysis released Thursday, May 28, by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, an association of groups representing over 200,000 Canadian businesses.
The study looked at the dollar amount of Canadian exports as part of a city’s GDP and the share of exports to Canada using 2023 U.S. International Trade Administration and Census data. The 41 cities in the study were defined by their metropolitan statistical area, which includes parts of Missouri and Kansas.
Goods destined for Canada make up 2.1% of Kansas City’s GDP. Kansas City had 2,211 exporters in 2023, more than half of which sent goods to Canada or Mexico.
In 2023, Canada received $3.9 billion in products from Kansas City. This equated to almost 40% of Kansas City’s exports, the third highest percentage in the nation.
Andrew DiCapua, economist and author of the analysis, said in a statement that “trade interdependence with Canada touches every corner of the U.S., affecting millions of local jobs and long-term relationships built over decades.”
Missouri makes many products, like plastics and sausage, that are subject to additional taxes going into Canada, as part of the country’s recently implemented retaliatory tariffs.
San Antonio and Detroit were the only two cities considered more dependent Canadian exports than Kansas City.
St. Louis was No. 12 on the list, with Wichita right behind at No. 13. The city that exported the largest dollar amount of goods to Canada was Houston: $18 billion in 2023.
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 10:47 AM.
