Our Communities

Economic Development

For more than a century, the University of Southern California has been a major contributor to the region’s quality of life and financial well-being by producing a steady stream of leaders and professionals, and by generating new knowledge, economic innovation and growth in fields ranging from health care to biomedical engineering, from the entertainment industry to digital information technology.

Today, USC is the largest private-sector employer in the city of Los Angeles, providing jobs for nearly 27,000 Angelenos and creating non-university job opportunities for thousands of additional residents each year. The university also generates $4.9 billion annually in economic activity in the Los Angeles region and beyond.

USC leverages this economic clout to promote the vitality of the communities surrounding our two campuses through efforts such as Supplier Diversity Services’ Local Vendor Program, which ensures that neighborhood merchants have the opportunity to compete for university projects. Additionally, the university reaches out to local entrepreneurs and companies through the USC Gould School of Law’s Small Business Clinic, the USC Marshall School of Business’s Marshall Consulting Program and many other initiatives sponsored by units across the university, offering expertise and services designed to help local businesses grow and succeed.