FAIRMONT – NASA brought an estimated 728 jobs and $137.5 million in economic output to West Virginia in 2019, according to the agency’s Economic Impact Report (EIR), which was released Friday.
NASA commissioned a study of its national economic impact for FY2019 to better understand how its activities impacted the American economy, according to the Agency.
“Our country is stronger because of NASA, and life on Earth is better because of our dedicated work in scientific discovery, technological advancement and space exploration,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.
In West Virginia, most of the impact can be traced to NASA’s Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility, which is located in Fairmont. The IV&V program assures NASA’s safety and that mission critical systems and software will operate reliably and securely.
“Since NASA’s IV&V Program was the first entity to be built in the Technology Park in Fairmont back in 1991, the IV&V Program has inspired and stimulated other entities to come to the Park greatly expanding the positive economic impact brought to West Virginia by those other entities but not directly attributed to NASA,” IV&V Program Director Gregory Blaney said. “For example, NASA’s IV&V Program pursued a partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) several years ago providing NOAA with much needed services. Now NOAA has expanded significantly in the Technology Park increasing their economic impact to West Virginia.”
In regard to employment, 58 NASA civil service employees residing in West Virginia earned $8.4 million in labor income last year. NASA contracts sourced in West Virginia totaled $50.3 million and account for an estimated 391 jobs.
The total economic impact resulting from these activities when multipliers are applied is estimated to account for 728 jobs, $48.1 million in labor income and $137.5 million in economic output. These economic activities generate $4.3 million in tax revenues for the state and local governments in West Virginia, according to the report. Procurement spending is responsible more than 76% of the increase in output in the state economy arising from NASA.
Another focus of the 2019 EIP was to examine how much Moon-to-Mars (M2M)-specific efforts played a role in the economic effects of NASA’s work. This includes the Artemis mission, which will put the first woman and next man on the Moon.
West Virginia saw $2.6 million in M2M-related NASA contracts sourced in the state. The total West Virginia employment impact is 28 jobs.
“The labor income and economic output associated with this employment are $1.8 million and $5.4 million, respectively,” the report reads. “The M2M program generates approximately $173,000 in tax revenues for the state and local governments in West Virginia.”
Clarissa R. Cottrill
Jr. Communications Specialist