CNNMoney Best Cities: Top 10 Hot Jobs in Shawnee, Kansas

The lands that became Shawnee, Kansas were a hub of government as well as native religion among the Shawnee people and the Osage Nation before them. Native American trails developed through the efforts of traders and new settlers in the 1800s to become the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe Trails; followed in turn by the American railroads. Highways and light rail followed these paths. The Shawnee area became a center of transport for Civil War groups and remains an important transportation hub today, especially for companies like Bayer Animal HealthCare (see below).

The icon for business growth in Shanee and Johnson County is likely Bayer and Bayer Animal HealthCare, featured as such by the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce. Other major employers of Shanee and the ssurrounding area are listed in sections to follow.

Shawnee has been names to the Top 100 Best Cities to Live in Americaby CNNMoney during several years and is Number 17 for 2010.

The Indigenous Shawnee Nation was originally settled in the US States of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, but were driven away by the Iroquois Nations in the mid-1600s. They moved back the west from where they had originally migrated and to certain southern states: Tennessee, South Carolina. In the early 1700s, the Shawnee peoples had migrated as far as Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas; but went further back to the west and gathered to stay in Oklahoma by the end of the American Civil War and afterwards.

As of 2005, the known bands of Shawnee inhabit several states:

Kanas

• United Tribe of Shawnee in De Soto

Indiana

• Upper Kispoko Band of the Shawnee Nation in Kokomo

Ohio

• Piqua Sept of the Ohio Shawnee Indians in Dayton
• Shawnee Nation, Ohio Blue Creek Band of Adams County
• Shawnee Nation United Remnant Band - Dayton, Belfontaine, Yellow Srpings. This band continues to buy back propetery once owned by the Shawnee.

Oklahoma

• Absentee Shawnee Tribe in Shawnee
• Eastern Shawnee Tribe in Quapaw

The large conglomerate Bayer AG is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany and operates successfully out of one division in Shawnee, Kansas. Known for aspirin for decades, Bayer is a leader in medical and healthcare products for humans and animals.

Bayer Animal Healthin Shawnee is part of the Bayer AG office for North American and develops and distributes over $1.3 billion annually in veterinary health products for cats, dogs, and horses.

Economic Strategy

Advantage Shawnee: The Bayer company webpages tell us that Bayer moved its North American HQ to Shawnee to take advantage of a Central Time Zone that allows wider opportunity to contact both West and East Coasts, along of less expensive transportation costs than found on either coast. The two phenomena make for one of the advantages broadcast about the county in economic development circles, specifically The Johnson County Advantage. Lowered costs and increased client base are certainly business advantages that help Bayer to grow and along with it, Shawnee.

In addition, the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area is part of the Animal Health Corridor of the United States- and the world - dedicated to medical and health product manufacture, distribution, and sales of these products. Operating since 1963 in Shawnee, Bayer could be in no better location. Greater Kansas City companies account for nearly 1/3 of total global sales of such products.

• Brown Mackie College
• Central Baptist Theological Seminary
• Friends University
• University of Phoenix - Lenexa
• Additional colleges, universities, and vocational/career schools are found in the Greater Kansas City Area.

According to MuniNet Guide, the median household income in Shawnee is $71,512 among a 2010 population somewhat over 61,000 individuals. This is significantly higher than the US median of $60,374. The population increase from 2000 to 2010 was over 20%.

The Unemployment rate for June 2010 was 5.6%, in a downward trend since January 2010. Related to this, approximately 25,000 job listings were posted for the Shawnee area for August 2010, in the trend of an upsurge in jobs listed since March 2010 (see charts)..

Job Listings expected to increased by the largest precentages from 2008 - 2018.

1. Personal and Home Care Aides
2. Computer Software Engineers, Applications and Systems
3. Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
4. Computer Systems Analysts
5. Sales Representatives for Services
6. Bill and Account Collectors
7. Medical Assistants
8. Network and Computer Systems Administrators
9. Database Administrators
10. Registered Nurses (RNs)

1. IBM
2. Various Recruiters and Head Hunters
3. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell - Managers, Crew, and Drivers
4. Aerotek
5. HCA
6. Shawnee Mission Medical Center
7. All About Staffing
8. AT&T
9. Brookdale Senior Living
10. The University of Kansas Medical Center
11. Children's Mercy Hospitals
12. Garmin International
13. T-Mobile
14. HCA MidWest
15. Macy's
16. Quintiles Transnational
17. Critical Connection
18. Black and Veach
19. Saint Luke's Health System

Throughout Shawnee and the Greater Kansas City Area, the largest numbers of job listings appear for Kansas City MO, Overland Park, Kansas City KS, Independence, Lenexa, Olathe, Shawnee Mission, and Lees Summit.