Regional Resources
Learn more about the industries that have a home within our region.
Our Industries
The region is home to a large variety of industries including:
Aerospace & Aviation, Agriculture, Aviation & Airports, Distribution, Film & Television, Natural Resources, Precision Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Transportation, and many more!
Click any industry below to view more information about it.
Aerospace & Aviation
Agriculture
Aviation & Airports
Education & Learning
Energy, Renewables & Waste
Government & Corrections
Healthcare/ Healing
Manufacturing & Mining
Aerospace & Aviation
Over 50,000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
Edwards Airforce Base – 8,929
Naval Weapons Air Station – China Lake – 7,995
Northrop Grumman – 28,000
Lockheed Martin – 3,700
NASA Armstrong Research Center – 1,370
Employer/ # Employees
Scaled Composites – ^100-249
The Spaceship Company – 450
Virgin Galactic – 405
PPG Aerospace – ^250-499
Stratolaunch – 255
BAE – 150
Agriculture
Agriculture in California is a leading industry with cash farm receipts for 2011 totaling $43.5 billion (followed by Iowa $29.9b and Texas $22.7b). California farmers and ranchers produce more than 400 different crops and livestock commodities. California farming is family owned with less than 3% of California farmland owned by non-family corporations. In 2009 there were more than 81,000 farms in California, more than 65% of those are less than 50 acres in size.
California produces 80% of the world’s Almonds and 99% of the nation’s pistachio’s with Kern County leading the state in production of both. Kern County leads the nation in carrot production. Our top ten commodities in ranked order are 1) Milk & Cream 2) Almonds 3) Grapes 4) Cattle & Calves 5) Nursery products 6) Strawberries 7) Hay 8) Lettuce 9) Walnuts 10) Tomatoes. We are the national leader in Ag exports.
Over 50,000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
Edwards Airforce Base – 8,929
Naval Weapons Air Station – China Lake – 7,995
Northrop Grumman – 28,000
Lockheed Martin – 3,700
NASA Armstrong Research Center – 1,370
Employer/ # Employees
Scaled Composites – ^100-249
The Spaceship Company – 450
Virgin Galactic – 405
PPG Aerospace – ^250-499
Stratolaunch – 255
BAE – 150
Aviation & Airports
CALIFORNIA CITY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
http://www.airnav.com/airport/L71
California City Municipal Airport (L 71), 6,045’ x75’ main runway offers opportunity to aviation enthusiasts and businesses within 100 mile radius with ease of access via air, three major highways, a stand-alone air quality district for East Kern County and the 40-acre industrial park. Located within the Edwards 2508 Military Operating Area makes it a prime location for Flight Test Development.
INYOKERN AIRPORT
Inyokern Airport is a public use airport serving the northeastern communities of Kern County, CA. The airport covers 1,640 acres at an elevation of 2,457 feet, with three asphalt paved runways that can accommodate almost any class of civilian, commercial or military aircraft.
Education & Learning
Over 10,000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
A.V. Union High School District – 2,300
Lancaster School District – 2,600
Palmdale School District – 1,792
Antelope Valley College – 1,275
Employer/ # Employees
Westside School District – 587
Tehachapi Unified School District – 464
Mojave Unified School District – 500
Southern Kern School District – 436
Sierra Sands School District – 631
Energy, Renewables & Waste
Over 500 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
Southern California Edison – 250
Waste Management – ^100-249
GE Energy – 150
World Wind & Solar – 229
Government & Corrections
Over 8,000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
County of Los Angeles (AV Region) – 3,933
CA State Prison (LA County) – 1,476
CA Correctional Institute (Tehachapi) – 1,581
California City State Prison – 683
Employer/ # Employees
City of Lancaster – 700
City of Palmdale – 585
City of California City – 150
County of Kern (AV Region only) – 100
Healthcare & healing
Over 6000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center – 2,425
Palmdale Regional Medical Center – 1,100
Kaiser Permanente – 1,270
Ridgecrest Regional Hospital – 728
Employer/ # Employees
High Desert Health Systems – ^500-999
High Desert Medical Group – 423
Tehachapi Valley – 270
Manufacturing & Mining
Over 4,000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
Rio Tinto Minerals – 800
BYD – 830
Lance Campers – 650
Granite Construction – 400
Sun Select Produce – 310
Sygma – ^100-249
Kinkisharyo International, L.L.C – 260
Incotec – 250
Employer/ # Employee
Deluxe Corp. – ^250-499
AVTA / Trans Dev. – 170
Morton Manufacturing – 240
Delta Scientific – ^100-249
Golden Queen Mining, Co – 250
Progress Rail – 140
Lehigh Southwest Cement, Co. – 120
Cal Portland Cement – ^100-249
Retailing
Over 6000 Employed
Employer/ # Employees
Wal-Mart(5)^~ – 1,900
Antelope Valley Mall (All Stores) – 1,800
Albertson’s (All Stores)^ – 750
Rite Aid Distribution Center – 560
Home Depot (4)^ – 550
Employer/ # Employees
Michael’s Distribution Center – 350
Vallarta (4)^ – 400
Lowe’s (3)^ – 350
Target (3)^ – 345
Costco – 336
Sam’s Club – 190
California Community Colleges Workforce Training
California’s Community Colleges are in a unique position to assist businesses in developing a high-skilled, high-performance workforce.
AV Region School District/Education Links
Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District: https://www.aadusd.k12.ca.us/
Antelope Valley Union High School District: https://www.avdistrict.org/ (individual sites listed at the “Schools” tab)
Eastside Union School District: https://www.eastsideusd.org/
Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union Elementary School District: http://www.heluesd.org/home.aspx
Keppel Union School District: https://www.keppelunion.org/
Lancaster Elementary School District: https://www.lancsd.org/
Palmdale School District: https://www.palmdalesd.org/
Westside Union School District: https://www.westside.k12.ca.us/
Wilsona Elementary School District: https://www.wilsonasd.net/
Mojave Unified School District: http://www.mojave.k12.ca.us/
Muroc Unified Schooll District: http://muroc.k12.ca.us/
Sierra Sands Unified School District: http://ssusd.org/
Southern Kern Unified School District: https://www.skusd.k12.ca.us/
Tehachapi Unified School District: https://www.teh.k12.ca.us/
Antelope Valley College: www.avc.edu
Cal State Bakersfield AV: https://www.csub.edu/av/
Cal State Long Beach Engineering Program: https://www.csulb.edu/college-of-engineering/av-engineering-program
University of Antelope Valley: https://www.uav.edu/
The Palmdale Aerospace Academy: https://tpaa.org/
Learn for Life: https://learn4life.org/
Gorman Learning: https://gormanlcn.org/
iLead AV: https://ileadlancaster.org/
Bethel Christian School: http://www.bethelchristian.net/
Desert Christian School: http://www.desertchristian.com/admissions/
Paraclete High School: https://www.paracletehs.org/
Sacred Heart School: http://www.shsav.org/