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Wichita, Kan., is the top U.S. metro region for aerospace and defense, a Global Location Strategies report says.<\/p>\n
(Provided by AntonMatveev\/iStockPhotos)<\/p>\n
Wichita, Kan., is the top spot for aerospace and defense (A&D) industry investment, but cities in Michigan and Indiana are also in contention.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to a recently released report from Global Location Strategies (GLS), a site selection advisory firm. The report identifies the most competitive areas for A&D industry investment out of 387 U.S. metro areas.<\/p>\n
The report\u2019s findings reveal a shift in the A&D industry, according to Didi Caldwell, founder and president of Global Location Strategies.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor decades, aerospace and defense companies competed on technological superiority,\u201d Caldwell said in a press statement. \u201cToday, the competitive advantage is increasingly defined by industrial readiness. The regions that can build, hire and scale manufacturing quickly will attract the next generation of investment.\u201d<\/p>\n
GLS ranked cities on more than 120 criteria, including workforce availability, engineering talent, supplier availability, operating costs, business climate and infrastructure.<\/p>\n
While longtime industrial manufacturing hubs dominate the list, markets with growing engineering talent and advanced manufacturing operations are seeing more opportunities, the report said.<\/p>\n
Top 10 Locales<\/p>\n
The Top 10 A&D metro areas, according to the report, are:<\/p>\n
Wichita, Kan.<\/p>\n
Ogden, Utah<\/p>\n
Dayton, Ohio<\/p>\n
Salt Lake City<\/p>\n
Huntsville, Ala.<\/p>\n
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.<\/p>\n
Grand Rapids, Mich.<\/p>\n
Phoenix<\/p>\n
Dallas-Fort Worth<\/p>\n
Indianapolis<\/p>\n
GLS said Utah is among the fastest-growing aerospace manufacturing states, accounting for its two spots in the Top 10. North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Texas are dominant in the Southeast and Southwest. North Carolina saw a large boost in A&D manufacturing during 2021-2025. And 84 metropolitan areas saw aerospace and defense projects in the last five years, up from about 60 from 2016-2020.<\/p>\n
Additional Findings<\/p>\n
Other findings in the report:<\/p>\n
The industry is shifting from an innovation-first model to one centered on production readiness, manufacturing scale and supply chain resilience. This will impact future investment locations, the report said.<\/p>\n
Workforce and supplier constraints have replaced demand uncertainty as the industry’s primary growth barriers, making industrial capacity a key advantage.<\/p>\n
Federal spending is increasingly concentrated in missiles, munitions, space systems, autonomous technologies and advanced electronics, creating new opportunities for capable regions.<\/p>\n
U.S.-based companies account for approximately 70% of announced industry manufacturing projects. European firms represent more than half of all foreign direct investment.<\/p>\n
Industry employment has grown about 11% since 2021, compared with roughly 4% for manufacturing overall.<\/p>\n
Weekly job postings nearly doubled between January 2025 and May 2026.<\/p>\n
76% of companies say critical engineering jobs are the hardest to fill. Skilled manufacturing roles face similar challenges.<\/p>\n
About one-quarter of the industry’s workforce is age 55 or older, indicating numerous retirements could hit the industry within a decade.<\/p>\n
Many critical defense programs rely on just one or two qualified suppliers for key components, creating supply chain bottlenecks.<\/p>\n
Bottlenecks are constraining production in areas such as propulsion systems, castings, forgings, precision-machined parts, microelectronics, energetics and other specialized components.<\/p>\n