ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | ADOPTED 06.16.14 Ction Imagine Belleville Se 5
SECTION 5, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | ADOPTED 06.16.14 ction Imagine belleville Se 5 ADOPTED JUNE 16, 2014 Our Residents A diversified and educated population with an entrepreneurial spirit is the key to meeting the challenges of an unpredictable future. - OneSTL SECTION 5 Economic Development Introduction Eds/Meds Over the last 75 years, the types of employers supporting Belleville’s local economy have followed national trends, transitioning from a manufacturing- based economy to one primarily composed of “eds and meds.” In other words, five of Belleville’s top eight employers are educational (“eds”) or medical (“meds”) institutions: Memorial Hospital, Southwestern Illinois Manufacturing College, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, School District #118, and School District #201.1 After the Great Depression, manufacturing jobs declined while education, health care, and government jobs increased at staggering rates, as seen in Figure 5.1, U.S. Job Creation by Industry.2 Between 1990 and 2008, approximately one Image Source: (see Footnote 2) half of new U.S. jobs were classified in one of these three sectors. Belleville’s two major hospitals; two higher education institutions; multiple school districts; and city, county, Figure 5.1, U.S. Job Creation by Industry and state jobs serve as economic engines to the The sharp decline of manufacturing jobs is community. These destinations - whether the new $24 juxtaposed against the steep rise in educational million Orthopedic and Neurosciences Center at and medical employment, particularly since Memorial Hospital or the $35 million State Crime Lab Bellleville’s last Comprehensive Plan in 2000. This 1 Additional statistics can be found on page 5.4.
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