GREENVILLE, S.C. — BMW’s Upstate auto plant now pumps about $36 billion a year into South Carolina, according to a new economic impact study unveiled Thursday as the carmaker gathered Upstate mayors and business leaders to talk about its footprint in the state.
The figure comes from research economist Joseph Von Nessen and the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, the first update in four years. The new number is about 35% higher than the prior estimate, which put the plant’s yearly impact at roughly $26.7 billion in 2023.
Jobs are the other headline. About 11,000 people work at Plant Spartanburg itself, but the study ties roughly 50,000 jobs statewide to the plant once suppliers and spending are counted. By the study’s math, every 10 jobs inside the plant support about 32 more elsewhere in South Carolina, up from 25 in the 2023 report, which already ranked BMW’s ripple effect among the strongest of any major industry in the state.
That multiplier is driven by suppliers. Over three decades of growth, more parts makers and service firms have set up in South Carolina to serve the plant, so a growing share of what BMW spends on day-to-day operations stays in the state. The 2023 report counted more than 500 in-state suppliers, most of them in the Upstate.
Among the local officials on hand Thursday were the mayors of Woodruff, Greer, Spartanburg and Greenville.
The next chapter is in Woodruff. BMW is preparing to open Plant Woodruff, a battery factory that will build sixth-generation batteries for electric vehicles assembled at the Spartanburg plant. The company expects about 300 jobs there. The project took about three years and is part of a $1.7 billion BMW investment, and workers have trained on virtual reality systems ahead of the start of production.
From the HERE City State Desk
Section: More Irmo SC business news
Irmo business profiles
Filed under: Irmo SC Business News
