Defense Adjustment and Advanced Manufacturing Report

Significance of Aerospace to the Region

Our research reinforces key points about aerospace manufacturing for St. Louis:

• St. Louis is one of the largest hubs of aerospace manufacturing in the country, supporting over 17,000
generally high-wage positions.

• Location quotients indicate that aerospace manufacturing
is uniquely concentrated in St. Louis, with the 3rd highest
concentration of such activity in the country, behind only
Wichita and Seattle.

• Aerospace manufacturing generated $10.4 billion in total
regional output (14% of manufacturing output) in 2014; the
5th largest single industry in the Region, and the single
largest manufacturing sector.

• Regional aerospace output in 2014 was comparable to the
hospital sector ($10 billion) and the petrochemical refinery
sector ($7.9 billion) which is largely concentrated in Metro
East.

• While local aerospace defense contractors work on an array
of military and civilian aircraft, the F-15 and F-18 represent
up to 25% of current business for a significant number of
aerospace firms; strategies to diversify are imperative.