A new report is raising alarms about Kansas City’s economic competitiveness.

In “Prosperity at a Crossroads,” the Mid-America Regional Council and the Brookings Institution found several bright spots, but also uncovered signs that our region is falling behind cities of similar size.

In the 1990s, Kansas City regularly outpaced the national average for growth in economic output, wages and new jobs. That’s no longer true. The region’s output grew by 20 percent between 1999 and 2011, compared to a 25 percent increase in the national average.

“In fact, the region’s advantage has effectively disappeared in terms of output per dollar,” the study’s authors wrote.

Other Warning Signs About Economic Competitiveness:

>> Kansas City’s professional, technical and scientific services sector is “firing on all cylinders,” the report stated, but the five other largest industries—finance and insurance, manufacturing, wholesale trade, information, and transportation and warehousing—aren’t keeping pace.

>> The region’s number of patents granted per job more than quadrupled between 1990 and 2012—but our rate is still only a third of the national average.

>> Between 2007 and 2011, the Kansas City area experienced, on average, an annual net loss of 1,000 workers with postsecondary education. The researchers say this could point to a possible “brain drain.”

>> Among 15 cities of similar size, Kansas City was ranked No. 12 for 10-year job growth.

What should be done? The Brookings Institution notes that regions tend to do better when they work from a common set of economic goals, collaborate with their state government and focus on market fundamentals.

To read the full report, visit www.marc.org/Data-Economy/pdf/Prosperity-at-a-Crossroads.pdf.