West Region
Western Massachusetts Economic Development
Economic development in Western Massachusetts is unlike any other region in Massachusetts, offering a broad range of industries and the lowest cost of living in the state. The area is the crossroads of New England, just two hours from both New York and Boston. Western Massachusetts sprawls across half the state and includes the bustling cities of Springfield, Westfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke. These cities are part of Pioneer Valley, a long-standing leader in advanced manufacturing, insurance, and distribution. Western Massachusetts has impressive infrastructure, welcoming companies like Amazon and General Dynamics. This region is also known as the Knowledge Corridor of Massachusetts, home to University of Massachusetts-Amherst and 13 other colleges. Western Massachusetts is perhaps most famous for the Berkshires to the west. Visitors from across the world come to this breathtaking region known as America’s Premier Cultural Resort. In addition to a bustling tourism industry, the Berkshires offers an array of representative industries of Massachusetts. Western Massachusetts quality of life is unlike anything else, and this region is truly where life and work coexist in perfect balance.Â
Colliers and CBRE
https://www.bls.gov/lpc/state-productivity.htm#Q03
 AdvisorSmith COL Index 2020
AdvisorSmith COL Index 2020
Honoring Companies Choosing to Locate and Expand in West Massachusetts
Leaders in Western Massachusetts
Leading Industries by Location Quotient
with at least 1,000+ employees
(Site selectors and corporate real estate experts are familiar with location quotients and often use them to determine the viability of a region for a prospect employer. Location quotients provided here measure the concentration of employees in an industry in this region versus the United States as a whole. A location quotient of 2.0, for example, means that the industry has twice the employment than the national average, suggesting competitive advantage for the region in that industry.)
NAICS 3261 Plastics Products Manufacturing | 10 | 10.28 |
NAICS 6113 Colleges and Universities | 17 | 8.77 |
NAICS 3329 Other fabricated metal product manufacturing | 16 | 5.95 |
NAICS 3336 Turbine and power transmission equipment mfg | 6 | 5 |
NAICS 3328 Coating, engraving, and heat treating metals | 27 | 4.45 |
NAICS 3327 Machine shops and threaded product mfg | 95 | 4.12 |
NAICS 3231 Paper, printing and related support activities | 18 | 3.39 |
NAICS 3115 Dairy product manufacturing | 4 | 3.3 |
NAICS 3399 Other miscellaneous manufacturing | 23 | 3.06 |
NAICS 5413 Architectural and engineering services | 56 | 2.63 |
Export Industry Employees
within 45 mile radius of region's center point. Source: GIS Planner, 2021
Leading Export Employers by Job Listings
Last 6 months (Apr. 1, 2021 - Sep. 30, 2021). Source: Labar Insight, Burning Class Technologies, 2021
Economic Development Projects in Western Massachusetts
Interprint completed a $22 million, 57K SF expansion of its Pittsfield facility, adding 2 new state-of-the-art printing presses to its manufacturing operations.
StockPKG Films, a premier supplier of plastic packaging films in the U.S., opened a 30K SF distribution facility in Gardner.
General Dynamics Mission Systems continues its Growth in Pittsfield.
BIG Y Market’s expanded distribution center will open in 2022, featuring a footprint of 425,000 s.f., more than doubling its former size. The state-of the art facility includes 53 receiving bays for trucks, up from 19. In addition to constructing the new building, there will be infrastructure improvements, new machinery and equipment, and the demolition of two buildings. The goal is to expand their distribution capabilities to accommodate growth for the next 10 to 20 years. The company plans to hire 32 new employees, retain 88 full-time employees and make an investment of $46 million. The city of Springfield...
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To start your customized site search in Western Massachusetts or any of our regions, start here and contact Doug Kehlhem, Senior Director, MassEcon, Dkehlhem@massecon.com, 617-9244-600, x112. Or, submit an on-line search request here
