Swiftonomics: How Kansas City is reaping the rewards of Taylor Swift’s tour and romance

It’s not as if Kansas City was a no-name town before Taylor Swift began dating the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.

But in September, the world’s most famous pop star began visiting her new Midwestern flame, and excitement reached new heights.

Businesses leaned into the mania — selling shirts, prayer candles, anything that could showcase Swift and Kelce’s faces or a meme — and began reporting record sales.

Some officials even believe Swift’s influence could help pull in new businesses and residents from outside the Midwest, further boosting Kansas City’s economy.

“We’ve just caught lightning in a bottle,” said Tracey Lewis, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City. “I think that’s what a lot of business leaders talk about in Kansas City.”

Without dispute, Swift’s brand is one of the most lucrative in music history.

Her Eras Tour amassed over $1 billion during this year’s North America leg, making it the highest grossing tour ever and dethroning Elton John’s five-year run at $939 million, according to Pollstar, a publication that tracks concert data. (And that’s with a year of the Eras Tour left to go.)

Her Midas touch gilded each city she played. Kansas City saw a $48.7 million economic boost from the July weekend Swift performed, according to Derek Byrne, director of content strategy with Visit KC. Between tickets and merchandise, Swift’s two days in KC alone generated $200 million to the U.S. economy, the EDC says.

All in all, the U.S. economy got a $5.7 billion jolt from the tour, The Washington Post reported, with the average attendee spending $1,279 on tickets, travel, food and a concert outfit.

The Swift Effect

But unlike her other tour stops, Swift’s blessings continue to rain down on Kansas City. The “Shake it Off” superstar has been photographed riding around in Kelce’s convertible and cheering for her sweetheart at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, wearing Chiefs gear crafted by KC makers. She’s been spotted partying at local bars like Miracle KC and Prime Social.

At the Dec. 10 Chiefs game, Swift wore a vintage sweatshirt from Chris Harrington’s boutique, Westside Storey. He was starstruck, humbled. But he also realized he’d struck gold.

“We’ve had orders from all over the country — all over the world,” Harrington said.

The shop’s Chiefs merch had already been selling better than usual, thanks to a selection of Swelce-inspired gear.

When Harrington received an order in October for five Chiefs sweatshirts from someone he believed to be Swift, he sent it off and crossed his fingers. Weeks later, photos and videos showed Swift strutting into the game in the slouchy sweatshirt, a leather miniskirt, tights and tall boots.

An Instagram page dedicated to Swift’s every style choice reposted the look, racking up tens of thousands of likes.

“Obsessed,” commenters wrote. “How do I buy this?”

Sales were up 1,000% in the days that followed, Harrington said.

“Her having a presence here is exciting,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, the platform she’s given Kansas City.”

Emily Bordner with Brookside jewelry business EB and Co. said her earrings showing Taylor Swift in sunglasses with “KC 87” sprawled across are by far her most popular product. They sell 15 to 20 times more than other offerings.

“We’re actually having to turn down some orders of it because we just can’t keep it in,” she said.

When Garret Prather, vice president of strategic development with Park Place apparel shop Sandlot Goods, saw Swift at her first Chiefs game, he rightly predicted a wave of Kecle-Swift Chiefs merch was on the way. He started designing immediately to stay ahead of the curve.

“(Our team) was all kind of texting as we watched the game, saying … ‘What are we gonna do on this?’” he said.

Prather’s graphic designer, Hannah Rosenthal, crafted their bestselling “I’m just here for Taylor” sweatshirt. It was ready to sell a few days after the initial Swift sighting.

“It’s just done nothing but good for us,” Prather said.

‘Constant drumbeat of attention’

In the short term, it’s hard to measure how much money Swift has brought into the KC economy since she linked with Kelce, but the sudden spotlight has opened up more conversations between the EDC and business prospects, Lewis said.

Companies are already looking to the Midwest more than before, said Steven Anthony, vice president of development for the EDC, thanks to its reputation as a safer region with a lower cost of living. Kansas City establishing a name for itself in middle America attracts multinational businesses, which bring more job opportunities for residents.

“Having someone with that national and international profile here helps our attraction,” Anthony said. “You don’t really have to do a hard sell.”

Plus, 20-somethings, the age group most likely to relocate, are seeing Kansas City’s “cool” factor thanks to Swift, said Jim Erickson, director of strategic initiatives for the EDC.

Kanas City was already gaining yardage toward its goal of visibility and economic growth with the announcement that it would host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory in February and the NFL Draft in April.

Then, Swift goes to the Chiefs games week after week. Touchdown.

“Those things are a constant drumbeat of attention to Kansas City that we traditionally have not had,” Anthony said.

The superstar’s presence only further legitimizes Kansas City’s brand, Anthony added, something the EDC has noticed but can’t quite quantify.

Tourism interest in the city, in the center of what some disparagingly call “flyover country,” has spiked this year.

In October, worldwide travel guide Lonely Planet named Kansas City one of the top 10 places in the world to visit, even crediting Swift for bringing the city to their attention.

“Suddenly in the international spotlight after Taylor Swift’s appearance at the Chiefs football game, Kansas City is on our radar for lots of reasons,” the article reads. “Thanks to the opening of a new state-of-the-art airport terminal and the extension of the free-to-ride streetcar line through Kansas City’s urban center, the ‘Heart of America’ has so much to sing about in 2024.”

That same month, Today published an article titled, “Going to Kansas City like Taylor Swift? Here are some places to visit.”

Byrne of Visit KC said 2023 saw a 12% tourism increase, up 2% in October. That’s all with a “big asterisk” he said. (Concerts, the draft and other events should be factored in.)

“Looking at a spike in tourism over the last three months, it’s a little bit more difficult to attribute directly to Taylor,” Byrne said.

But Swift pulling Kansas City into an international spotlight has helped Visit KC market the city further afield, whereas it used to strictly be a destination for other Midwesterners.

“We’ve also been able to start advertising and be really successful in Denver and Chicago, and … Dallas, too,” Byrne said. “People are organically interested in (KC).”

So will a ripple effect from Swift, or all the other developments in the city, lure other Midwesterners, perhaps even people from across the country?

There’s no great way to predict, and major city growth happens slowly, Lewis said. But Kansas City proper saw a 10% population increase from 2010 to 2020, according to the Mid-America Regional Council, when some Midwestern cities are shrinking.

The EDC feels strongly that Kansas City is on its way to becoming a world-class city. Good enough, officials say, for Swift to live here.

“Kansas City absolutely can welcome and have the capacity to be able to bring in top-level celebrities to live here and work here and play here,” Anthony said. “The shine on the city is really bright.”