Short answer
The Kansas City, MO-KS metro had 5,392 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 65,925 people with $5.34 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Johnson County, Kansas, has the most establishments (1,645) and Jackson County, Missouri, the most employees (27,491). The largest construction employers on the KC Area Development Council's major employers list include JE Dunn Construction, Kiewit Energy Group and P1 Construction, each with 1,000 to 2,499 regional employees.
- 5,392 construction establishments and 65,925 employees in metro Kansas City in 2023, with average pay of $81,003.
- Commercial and institutional builders average 32.3 employees each, about twice the US average of 16.4.
- Johnson County, Kansas, has 1,645 establishments; Jackson County, Missouri, has 1,520 but 7,288 more employees.
- Housing permits rose 4.2% in 2025 to 9,727 units, with apartment units up 14.8%.
- Johnson County licenses contractors in 11 classes, from Class A general contractors to wood framing.
On this page
- Kansas City construction in numbers
- The state line runs through the market
- Big commercial builders, big line crews
- The largest construction employers
- Permits: a metro that grew in 2025
- Licensing: counties and cities, not the state
- Checking a Kansas City contractor
- Selling into the Kansas City market
- Sources for names
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This report is for anyone choosing, researching or selling to construction companies in greater Kansas City: owners and developers hiring a builder, contractors looking for subcontractors, job seekers comparing employers, and B2B sellers working both sides of State Line Road.
Kansas City construction in numbers
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area (CBSA 28140):
| Measure | Metro Kansas City, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 5,392 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 65,925 |
| Annual payroll | $5,340,150,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 12.2 |
| Average annual pay | $81,003 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.66% (of 814,557) |
| Size band | Establishments | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 4,780 | 88.6% |
| 20 to 99 employees | 527 | 9.8% |
| 100 or more employees | 85 | 1.6% |
Within the top band, 56 establishments have 100 to 249 employees, 19 have 250 to 499, 8 have 500 to 999 and 2 have 1,000 or more; the Census Bureau doesn't publish the last cell, so the 2 is the total less the published cells. CBP counts locations with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out self-employed contractors.
The state line runs through the market
| County | State | Establishments | Employees | Average size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County | Kansas | 1,645 | 20,203 | 12.3 |
| Jackson County | Missouri | 1,520 | 27,491 | 18.1 |
| Clay County | Missouri | 517 | 4,583 | 8.9 |
| Wyandotte County | Kansas | 390 | 5,086 | 13.0 |
| Cass County | Missouri | 371 | 2,323 | 6.3 |
| Platte County | Missouri | 244 | 2,298 | 9.4 |
| Leavenworth County | Kansas | 214 | 1,437 | 6.7 |
| Miami County | Kansas | 154 | 852 | 5.5 |
These eight counties hold 5,055 of the metro's 5,392 establishments. The Missouri counties among them have 2,652 establishments and the Kansas ones 2,403. Johnson County has the most firms, but Jackson County, which contains most of Kansas City, Missouri, has the larger ones: 18.1 employees per establishment against 12.3.
Big commercial builders, big line crews
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Average here | Average in US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 292 | 9,430 | 32.3 | 16.4 |
| Power and communication line contractors (237130) | 64 | 4,424 | 69.1 | 41.1 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 66 | 2,510 | 38.0 | 34.0 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 519 | 8,800 | 17.0 | 12.2 |
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 662 | 10,881 | 16.4 | 10.9 |
| Poured concrete foundation and structure (238110) | 228 | 3,117 | 13.7 | 11.7 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 851 | 3,185 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Single-family homes for clients and on owned lots (236115) | 247 | 924 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
US averages are calculated from the CBP 2023 state files summed across all states. The Census Bureau marks the commercial builder and power line employee counts as moderate noise (changed by 2% to 5% for confidentiality). Specialty trades as a whole are 3,627 establishments (67.3%) with 42,643 employees.
The pattern is clear: Kansas City's commercial, mechanical and electrical contractors run much larger than their peers elsewhere, while its house builders and remodelers are the same small shops as anywhere. That's consistent with the region's long list of large contractor headquarters.
The largest construction employers
The Kansas City Area Development Council publishes a major employers list for its 18-county, two-state region, with employees in ranges. Construction contractors on it with 250 or more regional employees, as listed:
| Company (as listed) | Description on the list | Regional employees |
|---|---|---|
| JE Dunn Construction | Full-service construction firm (headquarters) | 1,000 to 2,499 |
| Kiewit Energy Group Inc. | Construction and engineering | 1,000 to 2,499 |
| P1 Construction, LLC | Construction, electrical, mechanical (headquarters; four locations listed) | 1,000 to 2,499 |
| Capital Electric Line Builders | Electrical contractor (headquarters) | 500 to 999 |
| Cerris | Construction services (headquarters), mechanical contractor and commercial builder | 500 to 999 |
| Mark One Electric Company, Inc. | Full-service electrical contractor (headquarters) | 500 to 999 |
| Clarkson Construction Company | Highways, interstates, bridges and sports facilities (headquarters) | 250 to 499 |
| McCownGordon Construction | Construction management for schools, healthcare and corporate buildings (headquarters) | 250 to 499 |
| Emery Sapp & Sons | Heavy civil: excavation, utilities, bridges and paving | 250 to 499 |
| Kissick Construction Company | Earthwork, grading and excavation | 250 to 499 |
| Musselman & Hall Contractors | Railroad, concrete and asphalt services | 250 to 499 |
| R/S Electric Corp. | Electrical construction (headquarters) | 250 to 499 |
| Superior Bowen | Asphalt and development contracting (headquarters) | 250 to 499 |
| Turner Construction Company | General contractor | 250 to 499 |
The page gives no date for the figures. Engineering-led firms are listed separately, including Burns & McDonnell (2,500 to 4,999) and Black & Veatch. No SEC-registered listed construction company has its business address in the metro, so private firms like these are the market's large accounts.
Permits: a metro that grew in 2025
The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey shows new housing units authorized across the metro:
| Units authorized | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family | 4,812 | 5,099 |
| 2 to 4 units | 862 | 424 |
| 5 or more units | 3,663 | 4,204 |
| Total | 9,337 | 9,727 |
Total units rose 4.2%, single-family 6.0% and apartment units 14.8%. Over the same year, totals fell in Charlotte, Nashville, Las Vegas and Tucson.
Licensing: counties and cities, not the state
Licensing here is local. Johnson County, Kansas, runs a Contractor Licensing program that issues and tracks 11 types of contractor license:
| Class | Scope |
|---|---|
| A, General Contractor | Any structure, excluding HVAC, plumbing, electrical and fire protection work |
| B, Building Contractor | Same, for structures up to three stories |
| C, Residential Contractor | Single-family and duplex homes and their accessory buildings |
| DE, DM, DP | Electrical, mechanical (HVAC and refrigeration) and plumbing |
| DF, DFA | Fire protection and fire alarm |
| DR, DS, DW | Roofing, swimming pools and wood framing |
A license needs a qualifying individual with proof of education or examination, general liability insurance, workers' compensation (or a notarized waiver) and, where applicable, a certificate of good standing from the Kansas Secretary of State. Licenses last one year. On the Missouri side, Kansas City, Missouri, and its suburbs run their own licensing and permits; the City of Kansas City, Missouri's website blocked our automated check on 30 October 2026, so confirm its rules with its City Planning and Development Department.
Checking a Kansas City contractor
- Use the right registry for the address. In Johnson County, search the county's contractor license database and match the class to the job (a Class C license doesn't cover a commercial build-out).
- Check that trade work has its own license holder. General contractor classes exclude electrical, plumbing, HVAC and fire protection work.
- Ask for recent jobs in the same city, with permit numbers.
- Get insurance certificates and lien waivers at each draw.
Selling into the Kansas City market
| Size band | Establishments | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 4,780 | The owner |
| 20 to 99 employees | 527 | Owner with an operations manager, estimator or controller |
| 100 or more | 85 | Preconstruction, procurement, equipment, safety and finance leaders |
The 85 large establishments matter more here than in most metros, because they include regional headquarters that buy for operations in many states. For them, see enterprise account research.
Illustrative example. The agency, premiums and rates are invented; the counts are CBP 2023.
Two Rivers Surety (tworivers.example) writes bid and performance bonds and contractor insurance. Its targets are the metro's 292 commercial and institutional builders and 233 heavy and civil contractors, 525 establishments. It assumes 35% bid bonded public work each year, about 184 accounts, worth $22,000 a year each in bond premium and insurance commission. Winning 8%, 15 accounts, is $330,000 a year. Knowing which firm is bidding which public letting is the slow part; Bebop researches each contractor in the list and drafts outreach around its current work.
Sources for names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| OneKC major employers | The region's large employers by industry, with employee ranges |
| Johnson County contractor license search | Licensed contractors in the county program, by class |
| Census Building Permits Survey | Housing permits by metro, county and city |
| Greater Kansas City Chamber member directory | Chamber members by category |
For other industries in the region, see companies in Kansas City and engineering firms in Kansas City.
Next step: build the list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Major employers, Kansas City Area Development Council (OneKC), undated, accessed 30 October 2026
- Contractor licensing, Johnson County, Kansas, accessed 30 October 2026
- New license and license types, Johnson County, Kansas, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data for 2025 (cbsa2512y), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data for 2024 (cbsa2412y), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Kansas City?
The US Census Bureau counted 5,392 construction establishments with paid employees in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area in 2023, employing 65,925 people. Johnson County, Kansas, had 1,645 and Jackson County, Missouri, 1,520. The count is of locations, not companies, and it excludes self-employed contractors with no employees, so the number of firms offering construction services is higher.
What are the largest construction companies in Kansas City?
On the Kansas City Area Development Council's major employers list, the construction contractors with the most regional employees are JE Dunn Construction, Kiewit Energy Group and P1 Construction, each listed at 1,000 to 2,499. Capital Electric Line Builders, Cerris and Mark One Electric are listed at 500 to 999. Engineering-led Burns & McDonnell is listed at 2,500 to 4,999.
Do contractors need a license in Johnson County, Kansas?
Johnson County runs a contractor licensing program with 11 license types: Class A general, Class B building (up to three stories), Class C residential, and trade classes for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, fire alarm, roofing, swimming pools and wood framing. Each needs a qualifying individual, liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage or a waiver, and licenses renew every year.
How do I check a contractor's license in Kansas City?
It depends on the address. In Johnson County, Kansas, search the county's contractor license database and check the class covers your job. In Kansas City, Missouri, and other cities, check with the city that issues the permit. In every case, ask for recent permit numbers and certificates of insurance, and confirm that a separately licensed trade contractor will do electrical, plumbing and HVAC work.
Is construction growing in Kansas City?
Housing permits grew in 2025. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey shows 9,727 new housing units authorized in the Kansas City metro, up 4.2% from 9,337 in 2024. Single-family units rose from 4,812 to 5,099 and units in buildings of five or more from 3,663 to 4,204. Commercial and industrial projects aren't included in these counts.