CSUS Regional Impact: $743.5 Million, 15,946 Jobs, 78,000 Alumni

California State University, Sacramento is a key economic engine in the six-county Capital Region, with an annual economic impact of $743.5 million and 15,946 jobs, according to a report released today by CSUS.

The “Golden Asset” report says $438.8 million in regional economic activity is directly generated by operations of the University and its auxiliaries, and an additional $304.7 million in indirect activity results rom that spending.

The report also highlights the University’s significant social impact. It says, for instance, that 78,000 CSUS alumni live in the region – 1 in 26 residents. CSUS students serve 2.3 million hours a year as volunteers. And thousands of young people in the region are served by LegiSchool, Academic Talent Search and other specialized campus programs.

“This University has not only gained well-deserved statewide recognition for its programs, it is also a catalyst for development in the Capital Region,” says CSUS President Alexander Gonzalez. “We can safely say that we’re one of the region’s most important economic and academic centers.”

The “Golden Asset” report includes information from campus studies as well as a new economic impact study of CSUS by the Sacramento Regional Research Institute, a joint venture of the University and the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization (SACTO). The study used 2001-02 data and looked at the six-county region of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties. Robert Fountain, who directs the institute, is also a special assistant to the president at CSUS.

Additional highlights from the “Golden Asset” report include:

• CSUS has 1,574 faculty and 1,270 staff on campus, as well as thousands in research, contract and student jobs. Every three jobs directly related to CSUS activities generate an additional job in the region.
  
  
• Fully 81 percent of local leaders say the region’s employment pool is better because of CSUS, and 74 percent say the region’s quality of life is better because of CSUS (16 and 17 percent, respectively, had no opinion).
  
  
• At minimum wage alone, CSUS students’ 2.3 million hours of volunteer work each year is worth $15.5 million.
  
  
• Two-thirds of CSUS students come from the region, with 23 percent transferring from the Los Rios Community College District.

More information, including the full version of the economic impact study, is available at www.csus.edu/impact or from the CSUS public affairs office at (916) 278-6156.

Robert Fountain can be reached at (916) 719-2037.