Spaceport America contributed US$240 million to New Mexico’s economy in 2024
New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center and the Center for Border Economic Development (C-BED) released a study detailing Spaceport America’s economic impact on the state between 2019 and 2024. The analysis focused on non-state-funded operations, including tenant activities and spending by out-of-state visitors.
The report found that Spaceport America generated 313 direct jobs and 790 total jobs in 2024, compared to 242 direct and 396 total jobs in 2019. Its overall economic contribution reached nearly $240 million, up from $72 million five years earlier. In 2024 alone, the spaceport contributed $110.8 million in value-added production and $73.1 million in labor income.
This is the second economic impact study conducted by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) in collaboration with Arrowhead Center and C-BED. The first, published in 2023, focused on the 2022 calendar year. Researchers noted that analyzing year-over-year data helps provide a clearer picture of the spaceport’s cumulative impact.
The study considered several factors, including tenant employment, privately funded construction projects, visitor spending, tax revenue, and overall economic effects. It also highlighted competitive advantages such as restricted airspace access, favorable climate, and high altitude, which continue to attract aerospace companies to the state.
According to state officials and spaceport executives, the findings reflect Spaceport America’s growing role in supporting jobs and contributing to New Mexico’s aerospace sector.
