FAIRFIELD — Solano County has more residents commuting out for their jobs, than it has commuters coming in for work.
That fact is central to many of the biggest economic issues facing the county, including efforts to expand the existing business footprint, efforts to bring more jobs to Solano, improving the transportation corridors and public transit systems, and the critical efforts to keep Travis Air Force Base healthy and located here.
Travis is the county’s top employer, with an estimated 13,400 people working on base, according to its recently released report on the Air Force base’s 2016 economic impact on the county.
The Solano Economic Development Corp. put together a list of top employers at the beginning of the year. It lists Travis as number-one, but documents the number at 12,875.
The next largest employer on the list – Vallejo Kaiser Permanente – is a distant second at 3,906, according to the EDC list. However, add the Vacaville Kaiser operation, the 11th largest employer, and that number climbs to 4,981.
Similarly, NorthBay Healthcare System in Fairfield is ninth on the list with 1,115 employees, while VacaValley Hospital has an additional 501 employees, the EDC reports.
Sutter Health, with its 690 employees at its Vallejo medical center (13th) and the 450 workers at the Sutter Fairfield campus (21st), employs a combined 1,140 people.
Moreover, the health industry is the fastest growing job-creator in the county, with more than 1,000 jobs created from July 2016 to July 2017, the state Employment Development Department reported.
Biotechnology, agriculture and ag-related industries – including winery-focused ag-toursim – as well as the food and beverage sector and recreational sectors are among the job-rich industries that are targeted for location to Solano County.
Among the Top 10 employers, only Kaiser in Vallejo and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, also in Vallejo, are private sector companies.
Travis, Solano County (3rd), California Medical Facility (4th), Fairfield-Suisun School District (5th), Vallejo City School District (7th) and California State Prison Solano (8th) make up the rest.
TOP 28 EMPLOYERS IN SOLANO COUNTY
1. Travis Air Force Base: 12,875
2. Vallejo Kaiser Permanente: 3,906
3. Solano County: 2,850
4. California Medical Facility: 1,216
5. Fairfield-Suisun School District: 2,000
6. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: 1,932
7. Vallejo City School District: 1,515
8. California State Prison Solano: 1,098
9. Fairfield NorthBay Healthcare System: 1,115
10. Vacaville School District: 1,100
11. Vacaville Kaiser Permanente: 1,075
12. Genentech Inc.: 1,200
13. Vallejo Sutter Health Medical Center: 690
14. Solano Community College: 650
15. ALZA Corporation: 535
16. Westamerica Bank A-2M: 356
17. Valero Refining Company California: 516
18. VacaValley Hospital: 501
19. City of Vallejo: 466
20. Benicia School District: 465
21. Sutter Fairfield Medical Campus: 450
22. Jelly Belly Candy Company: 400
23. Mariani Packing Company: 327
24. Anheuser-Busch: 330
25. Walmart, Vacaville: 301
26. Meyer Corporation – Farberware: 300
27. Travis Credit Union: 294
28. Simpson Dura Vent: 250
