The business publication Area Development has given Alabama a 2026 Silver Shovel Award for economic development.
Gov. Kay Ivey attributed the award in large part to growth in Alabama’s defense presence and Eli Lilly’s $6 billion investment in building a Huntsville pharmaceutical plant.
“Alabama saw a record-breaking amount of industry investment in 2025 as more companies recognize we have the space, prime locations, infrastructure and skilled workforce that will make them successful,” Ivey said. “That investment — and this latest Silver Shovel Award — is further proof that the economic development policies developed in Montgomery and the work by local community leaders are creating quality jobs and opportunities for our citizens.”
Area Development noted Alabama’s defense and aerospace sectors in announcing the award.
“U.S. Space Command brings 1,312 defense jobs to Huntsville at no reported capital cost — a federal presence that reinforces the region’s role as a national hub for space and defense operations,” it said. “Eli Lilly’s $6 billion pharmaceutical investment in Huntsville — a manufacturing project of the year — adds 450 jobs and signals that Alabama’s life sciences ambitions are serious.”
Area Development regularly honors Alabama. The state received Gold Shovel Awards in 2006, 2013, 2019 and 2021 and Silver Shovel Awards for 2007–2012, 2014–2018, 2022 and 2024.
The magazine this year also gave a nod to the state’s still-growing automotive and raw materials sectors, citing CPT America’s $163 million investment and 187 jobs in automotive manufacturing in Tuskegee and Samkwang’s 114 new jobs, also in Tuskegee. ArcelorMittal Calvert invested $1.2 billion and 205 jobs in raw materials and mining in Calvert, and Alabama River Cellulose, a Georgia-Pacific company, committed $800 million to raw materials in Monroeville.
Other major projects included Northrop Grumman’s $72 million investment in Huntsville, Diageo North America’s $415 million project in Montgomery, Owens Corning Corporation’s $325 million investment in Prattville, Pilgrim’s expansion in Russellville, Butting’s 100 new stainless steel processing jobs in Loxley and AGS America’s automotive facility in Opelika.
This year’s other Silver Shovel winners in the 5 million to 8 million population range are Tennessee and South Carolina.
