$10.2 billion economic impact generated from Detroit Metro Airport

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) generates more than 86,000 jobs and about $10.2 billion in total economic impact throughout Michigan, according to a study released today by University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Wayne County Airport Authority.

“This study illustrates that the air transportation infrastructure we build and maintain locally has a measureable and beneficial impact throughout Southeastern Michigan and beyond,” said Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Thomas Naughton. “The continued success of our vital airports translates to economic growth and business development that reaches far beyond our terminal walls and runways.”

Lee Redding, associate professor of business economics at UM-Dearborn, along with students and staff from iLabs, the university’s center for innovation research, estimated how DTW impacts the economies of Michigan and the Southeastern Michigan Air Trade Area by measuring revenues, incomes and jobs. The group surveyed more than 1,600 passengers traveling through the airport in July and August 2013.

“The airport’s economic impact extends far beyond Detroit,” Redding said. “Detroit Metro Airport connects us to the world. More than 600,000 people rely on the airport to purchase and sell Michigan products, which ultimately benefits the state’s economy.”

Research findings include:

• DTW annually serves approximately 32 million passengers, including 3.1 million business and pleasure travelers who stay in Michigan, thus benefiting the state’s economy.
• Visitors to metropolitan Detroit annually spend about $1.7 billion after arriving through DTW, which has a total economic impact on the area of $3.2 billion.
• Visitors to Michigan annually spend about $2.7 billion after utilizing DTW as their gateway to Michigan, which has a $4.9 billion impact on the state’s economy.
• Air transportation creates an economic impact that exceeds $5 billion for Michigan, with $1.7 billion in earnings that support more than 35,000 jobs.
• About 660,000 people travel through DTW to arrange the purchase or sale of Michigan products or services.
• For the ten-county area around metropolitan Detroit, there is a total economic impact of more than $8 billion, which supports more than 72,000 jobs and earnings to these workers and Michigan business owners of more than $2.6 billion.

To see the full report, click here.