From Southern California to Chattanooga, Tennessee, Amazon is directly—and indirectly—helping local economies thrive.
When you think of Amazon, Seattle may come to mind. When you visualize an Amazon customer, you likely envision a shopper clicking “add to cart.” While both of these mental pictures are accurate, Amazon and its customers extend far beyond those conceits.
Though headquartered in Seattle, Amazon is actually a local employer that directly and indirectly contributes to local economies. Its customers are not just Amazon.com shoppers, they’re also in the communities where Amazon operates buildings, where people are employed, and where the company contributes to the greater economy.
Since 2011, Amazon has invested more than $160 billion in the U.S. from fulfillment centers, to cloud computing infrastructure, to compensation to its employees. These investments have contributed an additional $100 billion into the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) due to the ripple effect into the economy.
As of 2017, Amazon’s investments led to the creation of more than 360,000 additional (non-Amazon) jobs, including construction jobs as well as tens of thousands of positions in the healthcare industry and in professional services firms, among others.
In communities across the country, small businesses are thriving thanks to Amazon’s investments, partnerships, and patronage. Look no further than Goodyear, Arizona, where Jessie Martinez and Tricia Beliso once delivered 7,000 bagels to Amazon associates, or to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a partnership with Amazon has allowed Jacob D’Angelo to expand his food truck to a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
The “Amazon effect” can also be seen throughout the Inland Empire, a 27,000 square-mile region of Southern California that stretches across San Bernardino and Riverside counties east of Los Angeles and home to 4.5 million people. An in-depth look at the economic impact here sheds light on the specific ways Amazon is creating jobs while supporting and investing in communities across the U.S.
Here’s a by-the-numbers snapshot of how Amazon has bolstered the Inland Empire’s growth:
