MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State Athletics generates more than $486 million in annual economic activity for the Manhattan community and the state of Kansas according to a thorough economic impact study performed by nationally-renowned Tripp Umbach and the athletics department.
Tripp Umbach, who also recently performed a similar study with the university, utilized data from 2022-23 to conduct the study, which also revealed that more than 3,850 jobs resulted from the department’s impact. From a tax perspective, K-State Athletics generated $26.2 million in direct and indirect/induced tax payments for state and local governments in Kansas, with $21.0 million amount specifically benefiting Manhattan.
“The experience surrounding game days in Manhattan is an amazing site to see – from Aggieville, restaurants, hotels and of course our purple-filled stadiums,” Athletics Director Gene Taylor said. “On the heels of the most recent University-wide study, we wanted to exhaustively study ourselves on various fronts, and this summary from Tripp Umbach paints a solid picture of the overall value and impact K-State Athletics has on the local economy.”
Visitors from outside of the community have a tremendous impact as more than $161 million in expenditures were accounted for in Manhattan and $201 million for the state. In addition, the 450 Wildcat student-athletes who live in the community accounted for $9.1 million of that spending.
A significant portion of K-State Athletics’ economic impact is driven by visitor and fan spending before, during, and after sporting events. As a member of the Big 12 Conference, K-State attracts fans from across the country. Visitors from inside and outside Kansas flock to Manhattan to attend football, basketball, and other games. In FY23 alone, K-State Athletics welcomed 527,280 patrons to ticketed events, with many more attending non-ticketed games and matches.