A new report shows that economic development projects launched in Alabama in 2021 will result in $7.7 billion in capital investment and almost 10,200 jobs.
The number comes from the 2021 New & Expanding Industry Report, published by the Alabama Department of Commerce.
The $7.74 billion in new capital projects announced in 2021 is second only to the $8.7 billion in 2018. It’s up from the $4.8 billion in 2020.
“Last year, the Alabama economic development team engaged with companies from around the world to lay the groundwork for significant growth in key strategic industrial sectors,” Gov. Kay Ivey said.
Job creation in key industries in 2021 included 2,384 jobs in distribution/logistics, 1,426 in automotive, 1,100 in metals, 1,011 in information technology and 919 in agriculture/food products.
Some high-profile projects announced in 2021 included Landing moving its headquarters from the West Coast to Birmingham, J.M. Smucker Co.’s announcement of a $1.1 billion hub in McCalla and projects announced by Facebook, Amazon and FedEx.
Jefferson County led the way in job creation in 2021, and Madison County topped the new investment list with announcements totaling $2.4 billion.