Building the Boom
Carnegie Mellon University's Growing Impact on the Local, Regional and State Economies
These are exciting times for CMU and the Pittsburgh region. Since 2016, the university’s annual economic impact across Pennsylvania has surged by nearly $600 million — a 23% increase in just four years.
Key factors in this growth include an 11% increase in research enterprise and a dynamic set of new capital investments such as TCS Hall, ANSYS Hall and Tepper Quad.
At CMU, real-world outcomes drive everything we do. Our faculty, students, staff and alumni collaborate with industry and community leaders to create change, inspiring world-class innovation and entrepreneurship. Our breakthrough research and education in technologies like AI and robotics are attracting global corporations and creating new opportunities in every sector of the economy, from manufacturing to health care.
Together, we’re working smarter. Transforming businesses, neighborhoods and lives. Together, we’re forging a better tomorrow.
Building Growth in Our Communities
CMU is working to engineer groundbreaking solutions for global challenges while also developing partnerships that engage the community and drive economic growth. You can see these efforts from our National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) facility in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood to the Hazelwood Green ecosystem taking shape in the Greater Hazelwood neighborhood in Pittsburgh.
Creating Economic Impact Across Pennsylvania
19,600 +
jobs supported statewide
in direct, indirect and induced jobs, including construction, food service, technology, tourism and transportation
$ 3 billion
in economic impact across Pennsylvania
including capital investments, annual operations, visitor spending and wage premium
$ 72 million
tax revenue generated annually in Pennsylvania
with $14.2 million generated in the city of Pittsburgh
$ 1 .85 billion
annually in economic impact in Pittsburgh
575
corporate partnerships
$ 131 million
annual impact from student and visitor spending
and $58 million annual impact of the alumni wage premium
400 +
startups created by students and faculty since 2010
$ 191 million
annual impact of capital investment in Pittsburgh
$ 2 .31 billion
annual impact of operations across the region
As we embrace this tech-driven economy, universities like Carnegie Mellon are playing a growing and central role in the innovation ecosystem, helping to drive regional and national economic growth. This latest impact report underscores our commitment to the community and the special, symbiotic relationship that Carnegie Mellon has with this city, this region, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the public, private and nonprofit partners that we work closely with every day.
Farnam Jahanian
President of Carnegie Mellon University
What Do the Numbers Really Mean?
25 Years of NREC
A new report marks 25 years since the National Robotics Engineering Center's (NREC) founding, with new data points to demonstrate the real economic impact of a world-class research center on its surroundings.
Stories of Economic Impact
Get Involved
Volunteer or partner with us to help create lasting economic and community impact in the region.