Consultants say Salinas Municipal Airport supported 401 jobs and $72.5 million in economic activity in 2024

Kimley‑Horn project manager Patrick Keaton reported to the Salinas Municipal Airport Commission that the 2024 economic impact study for Salinas Municipal Airport found the airport supported 401 total jobs, paid $32,200,000 in payroll and produced about $72,500,000 in total economic output.

Keaton, who identified himself as the Kimley‑Horn project manager for the study, said the on‑airport activity accounted for the majority of those impacts (about 338 on‑airport jobs and roughly $62.5 million of output), while off‑airport visitor spending supported roughly 63 jobs and about $10 million in output. "Salinas Municipal Airport supports 401 total jobs," he said.

Drew Latouche, the study's lead planner, explained the team's methodology: the study used 2024 as the base year, combined site financial data, tenant surveys, and a pilot/passenger visitor survey across four regional airports, and modeled multiplier effects with IMPLAN. Latouche said the study reports impacts in four buckets — employment, payroll, value added, and output — and distinguishes direct on‑site activity from indirect and induced effects.

The consultants cautioned that the study is retrospective, not a master plan or return‑on‑investment analysis, and that some event‑level effects (for example, large single events) were treated qualitatively because the team did not conduct event‑specific surveying. When asked whether Monterey Car Week and the air show were included, Keaton said the study captured the "story" of those events qualitatively but did not perform full event‑level surveys within the study timeframe.

Keaton compared the 2024 findings to a 2019 (2019‑data) study and said total jobs coincidentally remained unchanged at 401; on‑airport employment increased from 327 to 338 while visitor‑supported jobs declined from roughly 74 to 63. He reported payroll rose from about $26.8 million to $32.2 million (a ~20% increase) and output rose from about $61.6 million to $72.5 million (about 17.8%). He noted value‑added was not calculated in the prior study and therefore not directly comparable.

The presentation included several ancillary analyses: a valuation of 136 based aircraft with a combined assessed value near $54.2 million (average about $398,000; median about $80,000); a property‑value analysis showing higher average residential values within the airport influence area than a five‑mile control sample; and a conservative estimate of about 149 jobs supported by off‑airport reliant businesses (with caveats about attribution to Salinas specifically).

Keaton also highlighted qualitative community benefits: Archer Aviation's testing activity at Salinas, the California International Airshow (which can draw as many as 35,000 visitors), and the Bob Hoover Academy — a partnership with the Monterey County Office of Education that provides aviation training and alternative education programming for at‑risk youth.

Drew Latouche summarized the deliverables for the commission: a technical report with methodology and data, an executive summary, a Salinas primer brochure for public outreach, a Monterey Bay regional overview brochure covering the four airports, a PowerPoint deck, and a GIS database. The consultants said they provided the deliverables to airport staff for further distribution and outreach. "The technical report really has all the details," Keaton said.

The commission discussed regional comparisons; Keaton said the combined four‑airport totals were roughly 2,250 jobs and $442 million of output, and noted Marina (driven by a large tenant) accounts for a large share of regional employment. The consultants invited the commission to use the communications toolkit in outreach to city council and the public.

The presentation closed with commissioners thanking the consulting team and asking staff to share a version of the study with the city council. The commission did not take a formal action on the study itself at the meeting.