Reinventing Manufacturing

Reinventing Manufacturing
Sacramento Area
Located close to the Bay Area’s technology hub
and the Central Valley’s agricultural strength, the
Sacramento Area has carved out a manufacturing niche
at the convergence of technology and agriculture.
The Sacramento Area is defined as El Dorado, Placer,
Sacramento, Sutter, and Yolo Counties. While accounting
for only 2.4 percent of jobs in the region—the
lowest regional share in the state—manufacturing in the
Sacramento Area has seen strong employment growth.
Bayer CropScience opened a new biologics lab in West
Sacramento in 2014 to produce seed prototypes and
new crop protectants. Additionally, the area’s proximity
to the Food Science and Technology Division at UC
Davis makes it attractive for high-value-added manufacturers,
such as those involved in agricultural genetics,
advanced food processing, and food storage and safety.
The region’s advantages include high-quality water
for food production, easy access to fresh food inputs,
affordable energy from a municipally-owned utility,
availability of industrial space, and proximity to a local
market of consumers who value high-quality food products.
These offerings have made the Sacramento Area
very attractive for both domestic and international food
producers. Access to the Bay Area’s technology and
investment community is another plus.
In 2014, the manufacturing sector in the Sacramento
Area provided 21,145 jobs. A portion of the Bay Area’s
Computer & Electronic Product Manufacturing base is
spreading to the Sacramento region, and employment
in the sector expanded by 88.4 percent between 2010
and 2014. With a total of 4,341 jobs in 2014, Computer
& Electronic Product Manufacturing is the largest manufacturing
sector in the region.
Measured by 2014 employment, Fabricated Metal
Product Manufacturing and Wood & Paper Products
Manufacturing are the second and third largest
manufacturing sectors in the region, with 3,052 and
2,131 jobs respectively.
In terms of number of establishments in 2014,
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing leads the
region with 208 establishments and Printing & Related
Support Activities follows with 152 establishments.
The strongest manufacturing employment growth in the
Sacramento Area was in the Pharmaceutical & Medicine
Manufacturing sector, which grew by 147.7 percent
between 2010 and 2014.
84