North Carolina’s publicly owned airports contribute more than $52 billion to the state’s economy and support 307,000 jobs annually, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Division of Aviation.
The state is home to 62 general aviation and 10 commercial service airports. Aviation-related jobs contribute $2.2 billion in state and local tax revenues and $12.6 billion in personal income annually.
“Our network of 72 public airports, and the aviation and aerospace assets that rely on them, help move our economy forward by creating jobs, supporting business growth and connecting people and companies to markets around the globe,” Bobby Walston, director of the Division of Aviation, said.
The airports also bring in tax revenue for their communities in other ways. Space was leased at airports for more than 3,300 private aircraft, generating more than $19 million in tax revenues. For an aircraft valued at $1.5 million, the tax generated is the equivalent of property taxes for 10 homes valued at $150,000 each.
The NCDOT report, North Carolina: The State of Aviation, studied the economic impacts of public airports and the related aviation and aerospace assets. North Carolina State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education compiled and analyzed the date.