Kansas businesses and workers generated a combined economic value of nearly $170 billion as measured by the state’s gross domestic product. GDP has gone up in Kansas for the past nine straight years, and since the depths of the Great Recession in 2009, the Kansas economy has added more than 35% in value.
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Just under 75,000 employer firms are open for business across the state of Kansas, and the total nonfarm workforce numbers more than 1.4 million. Those workers are spread across diverse industries, but the bulk of jobs are in three sectors: trade, transportation and utilities, government, and education and health services, which together account for about 1 in 2 jobs.
Five companies on the Fortune 1,000 list of largest U.S. companies call Kansas home, and the state is a huge Midwestern hub for startup investment, drawing nearly $225 million in the third quarter of 2019 alone. That’s No. 13 nationally and No. 3 in the Midwest behind only Illinois and Ohio.
All of these factors combine to make Kansas an ideal location for professionals with a passion for business analytics, particularly those considering a Master of Business Analytics degree. So what types of jobs are available for these people here in Kansas, what educational opportunities exist here, and what are some real-world examples of employers in the space?
Business Analytics Salaries in Kansas
If you have a degree in business analytics, does that mean you have to work as a business analyst? Not necessarily. While most jobs that are related to business analytics do involve business, the training is applicable to any type of organization and can set an individual up for success in jobs that range from the highly technical to the managerial and everything in between.
SEE ALSO: Masters in Business Analytics Salary Outlook
So what are some possible business analytics job titles? Here’s a look at some select roles here in Kansas:
- Management Consultant
- Financial Analyst
- Budget Analyst
- Insights Analyst
- Market Research Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Business Intelligence Specialist
- Research Executive
- Decision Engineer
- Marketing Engagement Analyst
- Quantitative Modeler
- Operations Research Analyst
What is the state of business analytics employment in Kansas? Because the field is so vast, it’s impossible to list every possible job title and explore the data behind them, so we took a representative sample, five specific job titles, and analyzed Bureau of Labor Statistics data for those jobs in Kansas and across the U.S. Each of these jobs is an analyst role, so for those with advanced degrees, particularly a Master of Business Analytics, higher-level job titles will be more likely. Still, examining these five roles provides a good foundation.
For all but one of the job titles we researched, Operations Research Analyst, the median wage in Kansas is behind the overall national median wage, though most differences are relatively minor. Also, it’s important to note that while Kansas may lag behind the overall national median, these jobs are still quite lucrative compared to the typical job in the state that pays an annual full-time median wage of just under $36,000.
Median annual wage, Kansas vs. U.S.
| Job Title | Kansas | U.S. |
| Budget Analyst | $65,350 | $76,220 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,870 | $85,660 |
| Management Analyst | $69,170 | $83,610 |
| Market Research Analyst | $58,080 | $63,120 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $83,750 | $83,390 |
In some cases, Kansas not only has a higher wage than the overall U.S. median, but the state finds itself among the national leaders. For instance, the typical salary for Operations Research Analysts in Kansas is No. 16 among all states and the District of Columbia.
Median annual wage, Operations Research Analyst, top 20
| District of Columbia | $109,910 |
| Hawaii | $107,370 |
| Virginia | $105,270 |
| New Jersey | $101,540 |
| Maryland | $96,550 |
| New Hampshire | $93,170 |
| Illinois | $93,070 |
| New York | $92,310 |
| California | $92,130 |
| Washington | $91,840 |
| Rhode Island | $90,350 |
| Michigan | $87,710 |
| Delaware | $85,490 |
| Alabama | $84,780 |
| Colorado | $84,420 |
| Minnesota | $83,850 |
| Kansas | $83,750 |
| Iowa | $83,690 |
| New Mexico | $83,170 |
| Nevada | $82,970 |
A salary that’s higher than most other workers in the state is attractive, sure, but it’s also important to see more and more job opportunities pop up. Good news, then, for business analytics professionals in Kansas, as most roles should see very healthy growth. In fact, long-term growth in demand for Financial Analysts in Kansas is among the highest in the country.
Financial Analyst long-term job opening growth rate, top 25
| Utah | 27.3% |
| Arizona | 23.9% |
| Tennessee | 23.4% |
| Colorado | 22.9% |
| Washington | 21.6% |
| Nevada | 21.5% |
| Delaware | 21.3% |
| North Dakota | 20.7% |
| Idaho | 19.5% |
| Florida | 18.9% |
| Iowa | 17.9% |
| Texas | 17.8% |
| Oregon | 17.6% |
| Georgia | 16.7% |
| North Carolina | 15.8% |
| Wisconsin | 15.2% |
| South Carolina | 14.9% |
| California | 14.2% |
| Nebraska | 14.1% |
| District of Columbia | 13.6% |
| Montana | 13.3% |
| Louisiana | 13.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 12.6% |
| Kansas | 12.5% |
| Missouri | 11.9% |
Budget Analyst job growth rates were unavailable, but each of the other jobs is expected to see rapid expansion over the next couple of years and for several years after that. Over the long term, growth will reach the double digits.
Kansas job opening growth rate, short- and long-term
| Job Title | Short-term | Long-term |
| Budget Analyst | — | — |
| Financial Analyst | 1.7% | 12.5% |
| Management Analyst | 2.6% | 10.0% |
| Market Research Analyst | 4.0% | 22.8% |
| Operations Research Analyst | 5.3% | 25.2% |
Note: Short-term 2016-2020; long-term 2016-2026
Drilling further down into specific Kansas communities shows a huge range of typical salaries, and in all five jobs, at least one city or metro area offers higher wages than Kansas overall.
Median annual wage, Kansas vs. select cities
| Job Title | Kansas | Kansas City, MO* | Topeka | Wichita |
| Budget Analyst | $65,350 | $71,880 | — | $57,470 |
| Financial Analyst | $69,870 | $75,470 | $64,960 | $80,670 |
| Management Analyst | $69,170 | $81,250 | $49,160 | $62,910 |
| Market Research Analyst | $58,080 | $60,640 | $49,620 | $57,780 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $83,750 | $77,220 | $56,880 | $92,340 |
* Includes counties in Kansas and Missouri
Kansas Business Analytics Degree Programs
Business education is a big deal in Kansas, and many options exist for those who want to study the growing and innovative field of business analytics, whether they want to attend a private university or a public one.
Here’s a look at some of the colleges and universities in Kansas that offer applicable degrees:
Business Analytics Degree Jobs in Kansas
We’ve explored what federal data has to say about the state of business analytics employment in Kansas, but any good data scientist will point out that those numbers aren’t necessarily breaking news. So let’s take a look at some very recent real-world job openings for business analytics professionals that were posted in December 2019:
Here are just a handful of the many examples:
- WellSky
- ICM Ventures
- KeyCentrix
- Grantham University
- Sprint
- Credit Union of American
- Koch Industries
- Farm Journal
- United Warehouse Co.
- Ascend Learning
- Bombardier
- Zoom
- Emids
- TVH Parts
- Capitol Federal Financial
- City of Lawrence
- Capgemini
- S. Bank
- Eastern Research Group
- SelectQuote
- AIG
- Quest Diagnostics
Conclusion
For individuals with advanced training in business analytics, such as through a Master of Business Analytics or related degree, the future should remain bright in Kansas and across the U.S.
References
Note: Information on recent job openings was gathered from Indeed.com and Glassdoor.com in late 2019.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economy at a Glance, Kansas. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ks.htm
PWC/CB Insights, MoneyTree Report, Q3 2019. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.pwc.com/us/en/moneytree-report/assets/moneytree-report-q3-2019.pdf
U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Query System, Custom Tables. (Undated). Accessed from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/home
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Kansas. (2019). Retrieved from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/KSNGSP
U.S. Census Bureau, Quick Facts, Kansas. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/KS/PST045218