Nov 5, 2019

California ‘working’ land supports 1.5M jobs

California’s working landscape and the industries associated with agriculture and natural resources contribute significantly to the state’s economy, according to a new study by the California Community Colleges Centers of Excellence for Labor Market Research, California Economic Summit and the University of California’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“When people think of California’s economy, they think of entertainment, information technology and other industries. They may not think of working landscape,” said Glenda Humiston, University of California vice president, agriculture and natural resources. “People may be surprised to learn that California’s working landscape accounts for 6.4% of the state’s economy, supports more than 1.5 million jobs and generates $333 billion in sales.”

To measure the economic impact of the working landscape, researchers from the Centers of Excellence, California Economic Summit and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources collaborated to analyze federal data associated with employment, earnings and sales income of the nine segments that are essential to the working landscape: agricultural distribution, agricultural production, agricultural processing, agricultural support, fishing, forestry, mining, outdoor recreation and renewable energy.

Their research showed the value of working landscape in California comes in ahead of the health care, real estate, retail and construction industries.

Preview the report “California’s Working Landscape: A Key Contributor to the State’s Economic Vitality” at http://ucanr.edu/WorkingLandscape.