General aviation supports 1,330,200 jobs, generates $107.5 billion in labor income, produces $339.2 billion in total economic output, and contributes $178.1 billion to U.S. gross domestic product, according to a new 50-state report released this month.
The Impact of General Aviation on State and Local Economies, State Reports 2026, 4th Edition is a joint effort of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Alliance for Aviation Across America, and the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO). It was released at the NASAO Annual Convention & Trade Show held September 13–16, with a digital edition published in late September.
The fourth edition updates state-level figures for all 50 states and adds new sections on advanced air mobility, uncrewed aircraft systems, and sustainable aviation fuel programs — a recognition that “general aviation” now encompasses considerably more than piston singles and business jets.
Where the Numbers Come From
Worth understanding, because it affects how the figures should be read.
The national totals originate from a 2025 PricewaterhouseCoopers study — Contribution of General Aviation to the U.S. Economy — conducted by PwC US Tax LLP and based on 2023 data. That study was sponsored by eight industry associations: GAMA, the Aircraft Electronics Association, AOPA, EAA, NASAO, NATA, NBAA, and Vertical Aviation International.
The AASHTO report applies those national figures and breaks the picture down by state, adding airport, pilot, and aircraft counts alongside employment and payroll.
The PwC methodology counts four categories of impact:
Direct — jobs and output within the general aviation industry itself: manufacturing, maintenance, flight training, FBOs, charter operations.
Indirect — the supply chain supporting those activities.
Induced — spending by people employed in the first two categories.
Enabled — economic activity made possible by general aviation, such as business travel that produces commerce elsewhere.
That fourth category is where the largest and most debatable numbers live, and readers should know it’s included. “Enabled” impact requires assumptions about what wouldn’t have happened without GA, which is inherently harder to pin down than counting payroll at a maintenance shop.
The study found that each direct general aviation job supported 2.6 jobs elsewhere in the economy — a multiplier consistent with capital-intensive transportation sectors.
Growth Since 2020
The comparison to the prior study is the more interesting figure for anyone tracking the industry’s direction.
Since the last report in 2020, general aviation added more than 150,000 jobs and $92 billion in annual economic impact.
GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce, discussing the underlying PwC findings, noted the growth occurred at a time when the societal benefits general aviation provides globally could hardly be overstated — pointing to aerial firefighting, medical airlift, disaster response, law enforcement, agricultural aviation, and drone-based delivery alongside the business connectivity that supports corporate operations.
That growth tracks with what the training side has shown. Flight training demand has risen sharply since 2020, aircraft shipments and billings grew again in the first half of 2026, and the workforce pipeline has become a sustained industry priority.
California Leads
State-level breakdowns are the report’s main practical contribution, since national totals rarely move state legislators.
California leads the nation at $39.8 billion in general aviation economic impact. The full state-by-state figures are available in the digital edition.
For anyone working on airport funding, hangar access, tax policy, or land-use fights at the state or local level, having a defensible number for your specific state is considerably more useful than a national aggregate.
The Argument the Report Is Making
The report has a clear advocacy purpose, and it’s worth naming.
General aviation is frequently characterized in public debate as a tax-supported recreational activity for wealthy individuals. The report exists substantially to counter that framing with employment and output figures — and to establish that community airports function as transportation infrastructure rather than amenities.
Devin Osting, executive director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America, framed it around connectivity — describing general aviation airports as an essential part of the broader transportation system for thousands of communities, linking people and businesses to jobs, markets, health care, emergency services, and destinations across the country.
That argument is strongest where it’s most concrete: the medevac flight from a rural county, the aerial firefighting operation, the agricultural applicator, the parts shipment that reaches a shut-down factory overnight. Those are hard to characterize as recreation.
A note on reading advocacy research: this report was produced by state aviation officials and an aviation advocacy coalition, drawing on a study sponsored by eight industry associations. That doesn’t make the figures wrong — PwC is a credible firm and the methodology is disclosed — but readers should recognize that the categories chosen, particularly “enabled” impact, reflect a framing designed to show the largest defensible number. Critics of general aviation tax policy produce their own analyses with equally deliberate framing. Both are worth reading with the sponsor in mind.
Why It Matters Practically
Economic impact reports can feel like abstractions. This one has specific uses:
Airport funding fights. When a county considers closing or repurposing a general aviation airport, a state-specific economic impact figure is the most effective counterargument available. It reframes the airport from a cost center to an economic asset.
State tax policy. Washington’s HB 2711 aviation tax changes, and similar proposals in other states, get argued partly on whether aviation activity generates enough economic return to justify its treatment. Numbers matter in those rooms.
Federal advocacy. GA groups use these figures in debates over FAA funding, user fees, and infrastructure investment.
Workforce arguments. 1.33 million jobs is a credible basis for aviation workforce development funding — the case that sustained the FAA’s workforce grant programs and state-level aviation education initiatives.
Local credibility. For a flight school, FBO, or maintenance shop making a case to a city council or chamber of commerce, the state-level data provides context that a single business can’t generate on its own.
The Bottom Line
The fourth edition of The Impact of General Aviation on State and Local Economies puts general aviation’s national contribution at 1.33 million jobs, $107.5 billion in labor income, $339.2 billion in economic output, and $178.1 billion in GDP — up more than 150,000 jobs and $92 billion since the 2020 edition.
The national figures come from PwC’s 2025 study using 2023 data, sponsored by eight industry associations. The AASHTO report’s distinct contribution is the state-level breakdown for all 50 states, plus new coverage of advanced air mobility, uncrewed systems, and sustainable aviation fuel.
For anyone who has ever had to explain to a skeptical local official why a community airport is worth keeping, that state page is the most useful document published this year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does general aviation contribute to the U.S. economy? According to The Impact of General Aviation on State and Local Economies, State Reports 2026, general aviation supports 1,330,200 jobs nationally, generates $107.5 billion in labor income, produces $339.2 billion in total economic output, and contributes $178.1 billion to U.S. gross domestic product. The national figures derive from a 2025 PricewaterhouseCoopers study based on 2023 data.
Who produced the general aviation economic impact report? The state report is a joint effort of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Alliance for Aviation Across America, and the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), released at the NASAO Annual Convention in September 2026. Its national figures come from a study conducted by PwC US Tax LLP and sponsored by eight industry associations: GAMA, AEA, AOPA, EAA, NASAO, NATA, NBAA, and Vertical Aviation International.
How has general aviation’s economic impact changed since 2020? The industry added more than 150,000 jobs and approximately $92 billion in annual economic impact compared to the previous report in 2020. The growth coincides with increased flight training demand, rising aircraft shipments and billings, and expanded industry activity in areas including advanced air mobility and uncrewed aircraft systems.
Which state has the largest general aviation economic impact? California leads the nation with approximately $39.8 billion in general aviation economic impact. The report provides state-level figures for all 50 states, covering employment, payroll, economic output, airports, pilots, and aircraft.
How is general aviation’s economic impact calculated? The PwC methodology measures four categories: direct impacts within the general aviation industry itself, indirect impacts through the supply chain, induced impacts from spending by those employed in the first two categories, and enabled impacts representing economic activity made possible by general aviation, such as business travel. The study found each direct general aviation job supported 2.6 jobs elsewhere in the economy. The “enabled” category involves the most methodological assumptions and accounts for a substantial portion of the total.
Sources:
- AVweb — Report Details Nationwide GA Economic Impact (September 28, 2026)
- Aero-News Network — New 50-State Report Highlights General Aviation’s Economic Impact (September 28, 2026)
- NATA — General Aviation Provides Robust Contribution to U.S. Economy
- Alliance for Aviation Across America
- National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO)
