{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","contentId":"000001a1-0d2b-df30-ada1-5d7f924a0000","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/community/amazon-investment-kansas-jobs-infrastructure-small-business","headline":"5 ways Amazon is investing in Kansas","description":"Amazon has invested more than $10 billion in Kansas since 2010, creating 7,000+ jobs and supporting local businesses and communities across the state.","datePublished":"2026-11-03T19:05:53.126Z","dateModified":"2026-11-03T19:05:53.126Z","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amazon Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/08549ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1125x1125+438+0/resize/84x84!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F47%2F6d%2F7fe296e642859c7ba2a629eda3ba%2Famazon-logo-hero-images-2024.jpg","width":"84","height":"84"}}],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/9558590/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fca%2F5e%2Fb6cbc84c4a45ac5fa6d8957eee39%2Fabout-amazon-hero-wichita-adobestock-384296706.jpg","width":"300","height":"200"},"articleBody":"![Aerial view of Wichita, Kansas](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/9558590/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fca%2F5e%2Fb6cbc84c4a45ac5fa6d8957eee39%2Fabout-amazon-hero-wichita-adobestock-384296706.jpg)\n\n# 5 ways Amazon is investing in Kansas\n\n*Amazon’s investments are boosting the Sunflower State’s economy while creating opportunities for those who call Kansas home. *\n\n---\n\n## Key takeaways\n\n- Amazon has invested [more than $10 billion](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/90/c7/8b796d1f4e1c852f7ceacba8540b/amazoninvestment-kansas-2025.pdf) in Kansas and contributed over $8 billion to the state’s economy since 2010.\n- The company has more than 7,000 full- and part-time employees and supports more than 6,000 indirect jobs.\n- Amazon partners with five educational institutions in Kansas through its [Career Choice program](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/career-choice-free-education-for-amazon-employees) and has upskilled more than 1,000 employees since 2019. \n- In 2025 alone, Kansas-based independent sellers sold more than 11 million items through Amazon’s store.\n\n---\n\nFor more than 30 years, Amazon has been investing across the United States, strengthening local economies and creating opportunities for communities nationwide. Kansas is a prime example of this commitment.\n\n![Employees in safety vests smile during a ribbon-cutting event in Salina, Kansas.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/5f12872/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F24%2F79%2F1b2fbf8d47728140afe7ce00337e%2Fabout-amazon-inline-img-9550.jpg)\n*Employees smile during a ribbon-cutting event in Salina, Kansas.*\n\nToday, Kansas serves as a thriving innovation and logistics hub for Amazon, with investments spanning [fulfillment centers](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/fulfillment-center) to [Whole Foods Market locations](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/whole-foods-market). The company’s economic impact extends beyond direct employment, supporting thousands of additional jobs in construction, logistics, and professional services, and helping local businesses reach customers around the world.\n\nHere are five ways Amazon is investing in Kansas.\n\n## 1. Investing in our employees\n\nAmazon provides [competitive wages and comprehensive benefits](https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits) from Day 1. Core operations employees in customer fulfillment and transportation earn an average hourly base wage of nearly $24, with total compensation averaging more than $32 an hour when including benefits. These benefits include health, vision, and dental insurance starting on Day 1, free mental health resources, up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave, a 401(k) with 50% company match, [a grocery discount](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-us-employee-grocery-discount), and flexible time-off options that increase with tenure.\n\n![Amazon employee wears a safety vest and smiles while standing in a fulfillment center.](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/f710a01/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F85%2F6f%2Fc09a3be048c39b346fa0fa271da8%2Fabout-amazon-hero-20260313-na-sort-rnt9-101.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon raises minimum starting pay for full-time core operations employees to $20/hour, with average pay reaching nearly $24/hour](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-raises-minimum-starting-pay-adds-grocery-banking-benefits)\n\nBeyond more than 7,000 direct jobs, Amazon’s presence in Kansas supports more than 6,000 indirect jobs in industries such as construction, logistics, and professional services—suppliers and partners whom we rely on every day.\n\n## 2. Supporting workforce development and upskilling\n\nAmazon is committed to preparing its workforce for future opportunities through comprehensive education and [skills training programs](https://www.aboutamazon.com/impact/amazon-ai-courses-certifications-aws-trainings). Since 2019, more than 1,000 Kansas employees have participated in these initiatives.\n\n![Employees listen to a speaker during the Salina, Kansas, opening day event](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/2f70470/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F13%2F57%2F7c8332e44b00a16be4af1c4c6de1%2Fabout-amazon-inline-img-9540.jpg)\n*Invited guests listen to the site leader explain the fulfillment process during the opening celebration at Amazon’s new site in Salina, Kansas.*\n\nIn Kansas, Amazon partners with five educational institutions through its Career Choice program, which prepays tuition for employees pursuing further education. These partnerships with colleges and universities across the state help Amazon employees gain in-demand skills that can propel them into new careers.\n\n![Female fulfillment center worker smiling while operating manufacturing equipment with robotic arms](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/9b378f5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fcb%2F5f%2F94f82de04f248dfc927be1fc5084%2Fbullet-train-hero-2000x1125-9.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon commits $1 billion to Career Choice employee education program as part of Future Ready 2030 fund](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-future-of-work-skills-jobs-training)\n\nFrom [Machine Learning University](https://www.amazon.science/tag/machine-learning-university-mlu) to Career Choice, these programs represent Amazon’s investment in developing talent and creating pathways to opportunity for its workforce. \n\n## 3. Building infrastructure across the Sunflower State\n\nAmazon has invested more than $10 billion in Kansas, including infrastructure and employee compensation, contributing more than $8 billion to the state’s gross domestic product, since 2010.\n\n![Amazon team members set up drones for delivery](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/0c7903c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2Fd1%2Fb5%2F8794bbe24058bd0d31dad6ffeef1%2Fabout-amazon-inline-26-03-25-0155-amazon-ribbon-cutting-event.jpg)\n*Amazon team members set up drones for delivery at one of Amazon’s fulfillment centers in Kansas City, Kansas.*\n\nThese investments include six fulfillment and sortation centers, five delivery stations, and other facilities across the state. The company has also expanded its retail footprint with three Whole Foods Market locations across Kansas. Amazon continues to grow its [sustainable infrastructure](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/sustainability) as well, with two wind farms and two solar farms in the state.\n\n![Solar in Texas on a farm](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/700c59a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1688x1125+156+0/resize/300x200!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F6b%2F4e%2Fa675df5140aa8537a56676a2f548%2Famazonnews-hero-portersolarfarm-texas-cdlt-sept202026.jpg)\n\n- [Amazon’s carbon-free energy projects contribute $11 billion to U.S. GDP, support nearly 22,000 jobs in local communities](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/sustainability/amazon-carbon-free-energy-economic-impact-study-2026)\n\n## 4. Empowering Kansas’ small businesses\n\nAmazon provides a powerful opportunity for Kansas’ entrepreneurs and small businesses to reach customers worldwide. [Kansas-based independent sellers](https://sellingpartners.aboutamazon.com/kansas)—primarily small and medium-sized businesses—sold more than 11 million items through Amazon’s store, with sellers generating, on average, more than $235,000 in annual sales in 2025.\n\n![Robert Ralph, founder of Princeton Popcorn and known as Farmer Bob, rests his hand on a cow at his farm near Princeton, Kansas](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/baff419/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x901+0+0/resize/767x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F32%2F40%2F64c31e1a4e0f8a1932818cf11864%2Ffarmer-bob-copy.png)\n*Robert Ralph, known as Farmer Bob, turned 80 acres of Kansas farmland and a half-million-pound popcorn harvest into Princeton Popcorn, a nationwide business selling direct to customers through Amazon.*\n\nThese independent sellers represent more than 60% of sales in Amazon’s store. Their success contributes significantly to local economies, with more than 65% of U.S. independent sellers employing at least one person within 50 miles of their primary business location. \n\nBy providing infrastructure, logistics support, and access to millions of customers, Amazon enables Kansas’ small businesses to scale their operations and create additional jobs throughout the state.\n\n## 5. Investing as a good neighbor\n\nAmazon uses its global scale and strengths to make a positive impact in communities. Working with trusted community partners, we address critical needs—[food security](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/hunger), [education](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/tag/education), [disaster relief](https://www.aboutamazon.com/impact/community/disaster-relief)—using our logistics, technology, and innovation, while investing as a good neighbor in the communities where our employees live and work.\n\n![Amazon employees from a local sortation center volunteer at a food bank in Kansas during Amazon’s Peak Giving event](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/c55e5e3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1600x900+0+0/resize/767x431!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F41%2F0b%2Fd00b580044a29f52da697b8d8422%2Fabout-amazon-inline-us-na-2023-volunteer-community-operations-ops-ce-ops-ce-na-ats-sort-center-mci5-food-bank-food-security-peak-giving-peak-giving-bonus-grant-2.jpg)\n*Amazon employees from a facility in Lenexa, Kansas, volunteer at a local food bank as part of Amazon’s Peak Giving program, which supports food security efforts in communities where employees live and work.*\n\nThe company has reached more than 10,000 students and 500 teachers through education programs and supported more than 90,000 computer science learning hours. More than 600 Amazon employees have volunteered in communities across Kansas.\n\nRead more about how Amazon is [investing in Kansas](https://www.aboutamazon.com/impact/amazon-kansas) and the [U.S.](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/job-creation-and-investment/amazon-economic-impact-report-2025)","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"About Amazon","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com","sameAs":["https://x.com/amazonnews","https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon","https://www.instagram.com/amazonnews"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/bd/8f/88e7b0314cc2bd05b9de3155a0fe/amazon-news.svg"},"parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amazon","url":"https://www.amazon.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3884","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)","https://x.com/Amazon"]}}}