State Has Landed 54,000 Aerospace Jobs

Led by Boeing Co., the aerospace industry in South Carolina helped lead the state out of the recession and now employs nearly 54,000 people with a $17 billion economic impact, a new study says.

"If it continues at the current rate, it will become a major pillar for South Carolina's economy," said Joey Von Nessen, a research economist at the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business.

Von Nessen's study of the state's aerospace industry, released Tuesday during the state's first Aerospace Industry Day in Columbia, measured civilian and military aircraft-related jobs.

The Palmetto State's aerospace cluster includes core firms, such as Boeing, operating directly within the industry, four military installations in the state and smaller private companies supporting the aviation and aerospace sector.

The study found that 466 core aerospace firms employ more than 17,000 people. The single biggest chunk, about 6,500, work at Boeing in North Charleston. The rest are scattered across the state.

Aerospace core firms by region

Aiken/Augusta: 44

Charleston: 86

Grand Strand: 14

Lowcountry (South of Charleston region): 31

Midlands: 89

Pee Dee: 24

Rock Hill: 22

Upstate: 156

Total: 466

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