Industry & Employment

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (BRAC)

Aviation and aerospace have always been a driving force in the Dayton area and will continue to be today and in the future. The Dayton region supports cutting edge research and development initiatives at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Springfield Air National Guard Base. In 2005, military installations across the country began the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. WPAFB and SANG, gained and retained over 10,000 jobs in the area, including over 1,200 new military and civilian jobs in the region, and nearly 332 million dollars in new construction.

Aerospace Research & Design

Dayton is an established national center for aviation and aerospace research and development and is home to the Air Force Research & Design Laboratory and many of its industrial and university partners. As the central hub for Ohio’s Aerospace corridor, with access to research institutions, federal facilities, and workforce, Dayton is a leader in Research, Development, and Commercialization. Millions of dollars are invested in research ever year; one of the largest investments is the over $380 Million invested in Combustion, Chem/Bio, Fuels, and Remote Sensing research.

IT/Data Management

The Dayton area is a global leader for changing people’s lives through innovative uses, understanding and gathering of information, utilizing new technologies created by LexisNexis and NCR. Dayton has one of the highest concentrations of IT professionals in the state, supporting companies that bring in over $10 billion in annual sales through their focus on advanced data management technologies and information systems. The Air Force Material Command at WPAFB has workforce of over 6,000 that specialize in logistical support, acquisition, and management services. The Air Force 554th Electronic Systems Group is deploying the Expeditionary Combat Support System, an advanced enterprise resource planning system for the Air Force’s logistics, acquisition, and supply chain.

Advanced Materials & Manufacturing

Dayton is the 4th largest machining and tooling cluster in the U.S., with over 90,000 manufacturing technicians and workers, making it one of the most largest and most diverse in the country. Sinclair Community College offers training in STEM disciplines and the tooling machining industry. Among the top materials research institutions in the world are the University of Dayton Research Institute, which was ranked #2 in the USA and the Air Force Research Labs Materials Directorate, which conducts over $500 million of materials research annually.

Healthcare & Human Sciences

The Air Force Research Laboratory that is headquartered at WPAFB directs over $271 million invested in Human Effectiveness research. Within the Human Sciences field, there are over 8,500 workers in the region, and the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at WPAFB educates more than 6,000 students every year. Wright State University’s Aerospace Medicine program has been supplying NASA with flight surgeons since 1978 and has trained medical personnel for start-up space programs for a dozen other countries.

Sources: 2008 Dayton Development Coalition, 2008 Ohio Department of Development, Springfield Clark County Chamber of Commerce, & 2008 Butler County Economic Development Department

Sources: 2008 Dayton Development Coalition, 2008 Ohio Department of Development, Springfield Clark County Chamber of Commerce, & 2008 Butler County Economic Development Department