The Number

The U.S. Navy occupies centerstage in the Ventura County economy. According to a new report from the Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment, Ventura County ranked fourth in the state in 2017 for military personnel with 4,381 active duty people and 5,524 civilians for a total of 10,886 paid positions. The payroll in the county for the fiscal years was $793 million, a total that includes uniformed National Guard and reserve units. “Naval Base Ventura County is the No. 1 employer in Ventura County, followed by agriculture and trade/transportation,” Theresa Miller McKenrick, public affairs officer at the base, said in an email to the Business Journal. The base includes three parts: Port Hueneme, Point Mugu and San Nicolas Island. Although Port Hueneme functions as a commercial port, it’s not part of the base. A special political district called Port of Hueneme, Oxnard Harbor District operates the port. The Navy “does share wharf and laydown space as part of a joint use agreement but does not administer nor collect commercial revenue from the agreement,” Miller McKenrick explained. “Port of Hueneme, Oxnard Harbor District is one of the largest industries in Ventura County,” she added. The Office of Economic Adjustment report cited California as the top state in the country for military expenditures with $35.2 billion in contracts and $13.6 billion on personnel for a total of $48.8 billion. In terms of contracts, Los Angeles County ranked second in California with $5.3 billion, behind No. 1 San Diego’s $9.2 billion. Ventura County ranked seventh with $866 million. If a local company wants to sell to the military, “Naval Base Ventura County has a contracting office that assists small businesses,” Miller McKenrick said. “The Small Business Administration is the agency that administers any contracts.”