Kansas

Kansas is defined by two industries — aviation and agriculture — and both are under tariff siege. Wichita, the 'Air Capital of the World,' is home to Spirit AeroSystems (Boeing's largest supplier), Textron Aviation (Cessna/Beechcraft), and Bombardier Learjet's legacy operations. Spirit AeroSystems builds fuselages for every Boeing 737 and 787, using globally sourced materials now subject to tariffs — specialty metals, composites, and fasteners from Japan, Europe, and beyond. Retaliatory tariffs from the EU on aircraft directly threaten Kansas's aviation exports. On the farm, Kansas is America's top wheat state, and wheat exports face retaliatory tariffs from multiple trading partners. The state's beef industry — the massive feedlots of southwest Kansas process cattle from across the Plains — sees retaliatory tariffs from Japan (which imposed 38.5% duties on US beef) cut into premium export markets. Sorghum, a Kansas specialty crop, was briefly hit with Chinese anti-dumping duties that devastated growers. The state's relatively low cost of living provides some buffer, but farm communities dependent on exports feel every percentage point of retaliatory tariffs directly.