20 Reasons to Do Business in L.A. County
20 Reasons to Locate Your Business in Los Angeles County » [PDF]
1. Large market
The area is a large market in its own right, and it is still growing. There are 18.5 million residents in the five-county area, and 10.4 million in Los Angeles County. The population increases between 2000 and 2009 were 2.1 million and 817,350, respectively. Census Bureau projections to 2025 indicate significant additional growth. In addition, there is quick access to markets in San Diego and Northern California, as well as Arizona and Nevada.
2. Large, well-trained workforce
The labor force in the 5-county area numbers more than 8.8 million, and a significant percentage has a bachelor’s degree or more. If your business has special training needs, the Workforce Investment Boards, community colleges, or the State Employment Training Panel can literally train workers to your order.
3. Excellent access to national and international markets
There are six commercial airports in the area, three seaports plus the freeways and service by two rail carriers. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are numbers one and two in the nation in terms of container traffic handled, while LAX ranks 12th among the airports of the world in cargo traffic handled. 62 scheduled and 5 chartered airlines serve the latter, of which 44 are international carriers. Read more about our ports.
4. A leader in international trade activities
In 2008, two-way trade flows through the Los Angeles Customs District totaled $356.1 billion. This total is for goods only, and does not include services (such as engineering and motion pictures). The Los Angeles – Long Beach port complex is #1 in the nation in both cargo tonnage and containers handled. Read more about our international trade industry.
5. Large, well-established international trade business support infrastructure
These organizations provide networking and advice. Unique entities such as The Foreign Trade Association and the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles - Long Beach make getting involved in international trade or finding trade leads much easier.