Economy:

Historically, Kansas has had an agricultural economy. Today, manufacturing and services produce more income, but farming is still important, and Kansas ranks third in the U.S. in the number of acres devoted to agriculture. Kansas leads the country in its production of wheat, and is also an important producer of grain sorghum, corn, hay, soybeans, and sunflowers. However, Kansans started raising cattle in the 1880s and cattle and calves represent its most valuable agricultural product. The Kansas City stockyards are among the largest in the U.S., and food processing is the state’s third largest industry.

In the manufacturing arena, transportation equipment and industrial and computer machinery are important, as are petroleum and coal products. The state is a major producer of crude petroleum and has large reserves of natural gas. Kansas is the nation’s leading producer of helium.