Short answer
The Kansas City metro had 161 architecture offices with paid employees in 2023, employing 2,431 people at an average of $104,467 a year, according to the Census Bureau. Jackson County, Missouri had 82 and Johnson County, Kansas 62. Six offices had 100 or more employees. Missouri requires a certificate of authority for corporations practicing architecture, and Kansas a certificate of authorization for every business entity, so check the firm's status in the state where your project is.
- The Kansas City metro had 161 architecture offices, 2,431 employees and $254.0 million in payroll in 2023.
- Offices average 15.1 employees, well above the national 8.3; six have 100 or more.
- OneKC's major employers list puts Populous, a sports and convention design firm, at 250 to 499 regional employees.
- Kansas requires a licensed professional regularly supervising each office a firm opens in the state (K.S.A. 74-7036).
- Missouri agencies must rank three firms on four set criteria, including proximity, before negotiating (RSMo 8.289 and 8.291).
On this page
This page is for owners, school districts, developers and homeowners choosing an architect in the Kansas City region, for designers looking at local employers, and for anyone selling to architecture practices. It covers the Census figures, the largest design employers from a published list, licensing in Missouri and Kansas, how public clients choose, and prospecting.
Kansas City's architecture market, counted
County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023 counts establishments in NAICS 541310, Architectural Services, in the Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area (CBSA 28140).
| Measure (2023) | Kansas City metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture offices | 161 | 22,805 |
| Employees | 2,431 | 189,468 |
| Annual payroll | $253,960,000 | $18,703,680,000 |
| Average employees per office | 15.1 | 8.3 |
| Average annual pay | $104,467 | $98,717 |
Kansas City has 0.71% of the nation's architecture offices but 1.28% of the jobs in them (US averages and shares are our calculation from the same release). By size, 92 offices have one to four employees, 19 have five to nine, 22 have 10 to 19, 17 have 20 to 49, five have 50 to 99 and five have 100 to 249. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the classes above 250 here; one office remains when the published classes are subtracted from the total.
The Missouri side and the Kansas side
| County | Offices | Employees | Average employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, MO | 82 | 1,594 | 19.4 |
| Johnson, KS | 62 | 634 | 10.2 |
| Clay, MO | 6 | 171 | 28.5 |
| Wyandotte, KS | 5 | 25 | 5.0 |
| Platte, MO | 3 | 4 | 1.3 |
Jackson County, which includes downtown Kansas City, Missouri, has two-thirds of the jobs, and its county detail shows three offices with 100 or more employees (the total less its published classes). Johnson County's offices are mostly small: 44 of its 62 have fewer than five employees.
CBP counts establishments with paid staff, not firms, and excludes sole practitioners. Large architecture-and-engineering firms are often classified under engineering: the metro has 420 engineering offices employing 19,431 people.
The region's big design employers
The Kansas City Area Development Council's major employers list on OneKC gives regional headcount in ranges. It is undated, so treat it as indicative. Architecture-led firms on it include:
| Firm (as listed) | OneKC description | Regional employees |
|---|---|---|
| Populous | Sports facilities, arenas and convention centers, and major special events (headquarters) | 250 to 499 |
| Hoefer Welker | Interdisciplinary architecture, planning and interior design (headquarters) | 100 to 249 |
| BRR Architecture | Retail, grocery, hospitality, industrial and corporate projects (headquarters) | 100 to 249 |
| HOK | Architecture, engineering and urban planning | 100 to 249 |
| Treanor | Education, healthcare, housing, justice, preservation and science projects (headquarters) | Less than 100 |
| Hollis + Miller Architects | Learning environment design (headquarters) | Less than 100 |
| bnim | Architecture, design and planning (headquarters) | Less than 100 |
The list also includes multidisciplinary firms where engineering leads, such as Burns & McDonnell and Black & Veatch; see engineering firms in Kansas City. SEC records show no listed architecture company based in the metro.
Licensing on both sides of State Line Road
- Missouri. Under RSMo 327.401, the right to practice is personal to the licensed architect, and a corporation whose purposes include architecture must obtain a certificate of authority from the Missouri board. Drawings must carry the personal seal of the architect who prepared or supervised them, and that architect is personally responsible for them.
- Kansas. Under K.S.A. 74-7036, a business entity practicing a technical profession, architecture included, needs a certificate of authorization from the State Board of Technical Professions before doing business. A licensed principal must be in responsible charge, and each separate Kansas office needs a licensed professional regularly supervising it, except offices that only provide construction administration.
Look up individuals in each state's roster through NCARB's architect lookup. For an Overland Park project, check the Kansas license and certificate; for one in Kansas City, Missouri, the Missouri ones.
Score firms the way Missouri agencies must
RSMo 8.289 tells state agencies and political subdivisions to evaluate architecture firms on four criteria, and RSMo 8.291 sets the order: list three highly qualified firms, negotiate with the best qualified, and move to the second and third only if talks fail. Political subdivisions that adopt their own qualifications-based procedure in line with state policy are exempt from these sections. A private owner can use the same sheet:
| Criterion from RSMo 8.289 | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Specialized experience and technical competence for the type of work | Three comparable buildings, with the people who did them |
| Capacity and capability to do the work in the time allowed | Current workload and who is free when you start |
| Past performance on cost control, quality and schedules | Final cost against budget on recent jobs, and references |
| Proximity to and familiarity with the project area | Recent work with your city's permitting office |
Score each from one to five, rank, and negotiate the fee with the top firm on an AIA agreement such as B101-2017.
AIA Kansas City and careers
AIA Kansas City runs a Center for Architecture & Design in the Crossroads Arts District, a Find a Firm directory of more than 80 member firms filterable by project type, a list of more than 50 professional affiliates and a job board. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 estimates for the metro:
| Occupation | Employed | Mean annual wage | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architects (17-1011) | 1,250 | $108,190 | $99,920 |
| Architectural and civil drafters (17-3011) | 1,010 | $68,800 | $63,520 |
| Interior designers (27-1025) | 500 | $72,940 | $65,160 |
Architects are 1.67 times as concentrated in the local workforce as nationally, and their mean wage is above the $106,260 national figure.
Selling to Kansas City architecture firms
Kansas City is a market of fewer, larger offices. The 28 with 20 or more employees have operations, IT and marketing leads who evaluate vendors; the 133 under 20 are principal-run. Sponsorships through AIA Kansas City put a supplier in front of its member firms.
Illustrative example. The company, fees and results are invented.
Prairie Talent (prairietalent.example) recruits project architects and BIM managers. It targets the 28 offices with 20 or more employees and the multidisciplinary firms on the OneKC list, and writes to each firm's director of operations about one hard-to-fill role. Ten conversations produce three retained searches at 20% of a $95,000 salary, $57,000 in fees. Knowing which firms are hiring and for what is the research that matters; Bebop gathers it for each account in a list.
Subject: Project architect search for [firm] Hi [first name], I noticed [firm] is hiring a [role] for [studio or sector]. In Kansas City, that profile is usually employed and not looking, which is why those roles stay open. We recruit only architects and BIM staff, and we can share a short list of people who fit your [sector] work within two weeks. Would a 15-minute call help? If you've filled it, congratulations, and I'll leave it there. [Your name] [Company], [postal address]
Next step: see the builders working with these firms in construction companies in Kansas City.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Major employers, Kansas City Area Development Council (OneKC), accessed 30 October 2026
- RSMo 327.401, corporation certificate of authority, Missouri Revisor of Statutes, accessed 30 October 2026
- K.S.A. 74-7036, certificates of authorization for business entities, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, accessed 30 October 2026
- RSMo 8.289, evaluation of firms' qualifications, Missouri Revisor of Statutes, accessed 30 October 2026
- RSMo 8.291, negotiation for contract, Missouri Revisor of Statutes, accessed 30 October 2026
- Architect lookup (links to each state's roster), National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, accessed 30 October 2026
- AIA Kansas City, AIA Kansas City, accessed 30 October 2026
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area estimates, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many architecture firms are there in Kansas City?
The Census Bureau counted 161 architecture offices with paid employees in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro in 2023, employing 2,431 people. Jackson County, Missouri had 82 and Johnson County, Kansas had 62. The offices are larger than average, at 15.1 employees each against 8.3 nationally. Locations are counted, not companies, and sole practitioners without employees aren't included.
What are the biggest architecture firms in Kansas City?
The Kansas City Area Development Council's OneKC major employers list, which gives regional headcount in ranges and is undated, puts Populous, a sports, arena and convention center design firm headquartered in the region, at 250 to 499 employees. Hoefer Welker, BRR Architecture and HOK are each listed at 100 to 249. Multidisciplinary engineering-led firms such as Burns & McDonnell are larger.
Does an architecture firm need a license in Kansas?
Yes. K.S.A. 74-7036 requires a business entity practicing architecture or another technical profession to obtain a certificate of authorization from the State Board of Technical Professions before doing business in Kansas. One or more licensed principals must be in responsible charge, and each separate Kansas office must have a licensed professional regularly supervising its work, unless it only provides construction administration.
How do Missouri public agencies choose architects?
Under RSMo 8.289 and 8.291, they evaluate firms on specialized experience and technical competence, capacity to do the work on time, past performance on cost, quality and schedules, and proximity to and familiarity with the project area. They list three highly qualified firms, negotiate with the best qualified, and turn to the second and third only if negotiations fail.