Port of Huntsville employs 7,700; payroll is $466M

A study on the economic impact of the Port of Huntsville shows that more than 7,700 people were employed in 2002 at companies and agencies located there, up more than 13 percent since a 1996 study. And annual payrolls climbed to nearly $466 million in 2002, a 36.6 percent climb since '96.

The Port of Huntsville includes Huntsville International Airport, the International Intermodal Center and the Jetplex Industrial Park.

When employers located within two miles are added, the total number of jobs grows to 12,505 - with a payroll of $714.9 million, according to the 2003 Economic Impact Study.

The multiplied impact of the transportation facility on North Alabama and south central Tennessee was 24,653 jobs and more than $1.1 billion in payroll. The calculation shows the indirect impact of spending by employees working at or near the Port of Huntsville.

"We're creating jobs" and having tremendous economic impact on Huntsville and the surrounding area, said Rick Tucker, executive director of the airport complex.

The study is the third of its kind conducted by Dr. Niles Schoening, an economics professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

The impact of the Port of Huntsville and nearby employers represented 7.3 percent of all wage and salary employment in Madison County and 11 percent of payrolls in 2002, the results showed.

Although the number of direct jobs within two miles of the Port of Huntsville actually declined since the last study, payroll increased, reflecting a higher proportion of better-paying jobs.

The study also points out that the Port of Huntsville and its employees generated an estimated $171.4 million in tax payments in 2002 to local, state and federal governments.