The health care sector has grown over the past decade. Comprised of several inter-related industries—including ambulatory health care services, hospitals, health care centers, doctors’ offices, laboratories, and nursing and residential care facilities—the industry as a whole provides access to a variety of vital health care services, employing thousands of workers, and generating significant revenues and tax dollars.

As our population grows, ages, and as medical advances extend our productive lives, the health care sector is likely to be a driver of economic activity going forward.

Review the Orange County highlights from “Hospital Industry in Southern California Economic Analysis” conducted by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. You can also download the complete report.

Employment

There are more than 8,400 private and public health care establishments in Orange County representing 9.1 percent of all payroll employment in Orange County.  (See exhibits 4-1 through 4-3.)

Highlights

• 123,300 payroll employees
• 12,000 self-employed and freelance health care practitioners and home health care-related workers
• 47,052 jobs in hospital industry
• 3.2% average annual growth rate for payroll employment since 2000, compared to 1.2% per year in the prior decade
• $53,237 average annual wage

Of the jobs supported by the industry, almost one third is in health care practitioner and health care support occupations, with average annual wages of $80,444 and $31,293 respectively. The occupational distribution of the total jobs is shown in Exhibit 3-10.

Operations

Data compiled by the State of California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) provides insight into the capabilities and activity at 97 reporting hospitals.

Highlights

• 6,354 licensed beds and 5,995 available beds
• 58% average occupancy rate
• Almost 1.3 million inpatient days, with acute care accounting for nearly 81%
• Average 5.1 day-length of stay for patients
• More than 2.65 million outpatient visits, almost 30% of which were emergency room visits

Economic Activity

Hospital operations generate substantial revenues, employment and labor income. A summary of the activity of the reporting hospitals is shown in Exhibit 4-7.

Highlights

• $5.3 billion in net patient revenue, $413 million in other revenue
• Almost $2.5 billion in purchases
• $1.9 billion in wages and salaries
• $661 million in employee benefits
• $95 million paid to physicians
• Almost $109 million paid for other professional services

Economic and Fiscal Contribution

The total economic contribution of the hospital industry extends beyond the activity generated within the sector itself. The total economic contribution of the hospital industry in Orange County in 2010, including direct, indirect and induced activity, is shown in Exhibit 4-8. The indirect and induced impacts spill across industries, include administrative and waste management, retail trade, and real estate and rental services (Exhibit 4-9).

Highlights

• $5.7 billion in estimated industry revenues
• $13.4 billion in total economic output
• 90,150 full- and part-time jobs supported
• $5.7 billion in labor income (including benefits)
• $692 million generated in state and local taxes

Construction Spending - Economic and Fiscal Impact

The total economic impact of construction spending by the hospital industry in Orange County in 2010, including direct, indirect and induced activity, is shown in Exhibit 4-11. The indirect and induced impacts spill across industries, as shown in Exhibit 4-12.

Highlights

• $717 million in total economic output
• 4,390 full- and part-time jobs supported
• $292 million labor income (including benefits)
• $31.8 million estimated in state and local taxes