NASA on Friday released a study that details the economic impact of the agency on each state. The report shows Alabama benefitting in a huge way from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
The study, examining Fiscal Year 2019, was conducted by the Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The center is widely recognized as one of the top organizations conducting economic impact studies for corporations, communities and government agencies.
The results revealed that NASA supports 35,768 jobs in Alabama, generating an economic impact of about $6.1 billion.
“In this new era of human spaceflight, NASA is contributing to economies locally and nationally, fueling growth in industries that will define the future, and supporting tens of thousands of new jobs in America,” stated NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
“With an investment of just one-half of 1% of the federal budget, NASA generates significant total economic output annually,” he continued. “This study confirms, and puts numbers, to what we have long understood – that taxpayer investment in America’s space program yields tremendous returns that strengthen our nation on several fronts – a stronger economy, advances in science and technology, and improvements to humanity.”
The only states to experience a larger impact from NASA on employment than Alabama are California and Texas, the report said.
The study also specifically examined the impact of NASA’s Artemis program, which is largely being powered by the Yellowhammer State. The historic program, which will return Americans to the surface of the moon and eventually take the first humans to Mars, has key supporters in U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) through each chamber’s respective appropriations committee.
Artemis supports 18,609 jobs in Alabama, with an economic output of about $3.3 billion. The program economically benefits Alabama more than any other state, per the study.
Read a summary of the study here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.