Energy
The economy of Indiana County has long been based upon extractive industries that are engaged in the mining of raw materials used in the production of energy. The twin pillars of that economy are coal and natural gas. Although the coal industry suffered sharp contractions in the 1980s and 90s and jobs in oilHomer City Power Plant and gas also declined somewhat, these industries are on the rebound as new technologies for resource exploration and processing have emerged and costs for foreign energy imports have risen.
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Manufacturing
Manufacturing business accounted for about 6,000Machinist at work jobs in 1970, or almost 28% of all non-agricultural employment. Historically, the manufacturing base had been closely connected with the mining industry, and as mining declined, so did some of the manufacturing base. By 2000, manufacturing employment had declined to about 4,000 jobs, a 33% decrease, and it comprised only about 11% of the employment base. Minor declines continued in the past decade, and it accounted for about 10% of employment in 2010.
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Health Care
Health care is one of the Pittsburgh region’s priority industry clusters, with over 9.7% of the region’s total employment in 2000. It is also one of only two clusters with a higher annual wage for Southwestern Pennsylvania than for the state of Pennsylvania or the United States.
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Agriculture
Agriculture plays an important role in the landscape, culture, and economy of Indiana County. Much of the County has prime agricultural land that supports productive farming, which is one important component of the County’s economic vitality. The establishment of small farms has been increasing throughout the County in recent years. Pennsylvania also has several laws and regulations to advance the protection of agricultural lands, including the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Policy, Agricultural Security Area Program, and Right-to-Farm Law.
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Tourism
An economic impact study on tourism published in 2019 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania reported that tourism spending in Indiana County amounted to $170.9 million in 2019 and accounted for nearly 2,000 jobs countywide. The report also showed that tourism employment in Indiana County has increased 11% since 2009, while tourism spending has increased approximately 15% in the same period.
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