Amazon has released a report detailing its economic impact in the United States, focusing on job creation, investments in small towns, average wages, workforce upskilling, and contributions to small businesses. The company presents this information as guidance for civic leaders evaluating local benefits from private investment.
According to Amazon, the report emphasizes how logistics, data centers, and retail infrastructure can stimulate surrounding economies. It highlights workforce entry points and mobility, noting that many new hires were previously unemployed. The report also underscores small-town expansion as a strategy to spread opportunity beyond major metropolitan areas. These outcomes are framed as the result of long-term capital deployment paired with skills programs designed to increase earning power over time.
Drawing on internal analysis conducted with Keystone Strategy, Amazon reports contributing more than $880 billion to U.S. GDP since 2010 and directly investing over $240 billion in 2022 alone. With nearly one million U.S. employees, Amazon positions itself as one of the largest private employers in the country. The report notes that counties receiving Amazon investments typically see approximately 900 additional local retail jobs. It states that 47% of new operations hires were previously unemployed and more than 40% of jobs created in the last five years were in small towns. Over 100,000 U.S. employees have advanced through its Career Choice program.
Externally, the Progressive Policy Institute ranked Amazon as the No. 1 “Investment Hero” in 2023 due to its leading domestic capital spending supporting construction trades, local service jobs, and broader supply chains. This ranking supports the report’s thesis that sustained private investment can enhance regional economies—particularly in rural counties where new logistics nodes can attract additional employers.
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington—with a second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia—Amazon is a global technology company operating e-commerce marketplaces and cloud services via Amazon Web Services (AWS), along with a nationwide logistics network. The company states its mission is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company and invests heavily in fulfillment, transportation, data infrastructure, and workforce development.
