QUONSET, RI – The Quonset Business Park remains one of Rhode Island’s most powerful engines of economic growth and job creation, generating $7 billion in annual economic output, delivering $2.2 billion in household income for Rhode Island families and accounting for 8.4% of the Gross Domestic Product, according to a new economic impact report prepared by Bryant University today.
The independent report, authored by leading economist Dr. Edi Tebaldi, finds that Quonset’s economic footprint now supports 5.8% of all jobs in Rhode Island, roughly one in every 17 jobs statewide, underscoring the Business Park’s critical role in the state’s economy.
“For more than 20 years, Quonset Business Park has delivered sustained job growth, high-paying careers and a strong return on public investment for Rhode Island,” said Steven J. King, P.E., Managing Director of the Quonset Development Corporation. “This report confirms that strategic infrastructure investments and strong public-private partnerships are paying dividends for hardworking Rhode Islanders, businesses and taxpayers statewide.”
A Hub for Good-Paying Jobs
The report shows that Quonset directly supports 15,309 on-site jobs, while supporting an additional 14,146 indirect and induced jobs generated across the region. Since 2018, the Business Park’s total employment impact has grown by 32%.
Included in Quonset’s on-site jobs are 9,881 high-wage manufacturing positions, which account for 25% of the state’s manufacturing workforce — up from 20% in 2023.
Companies at the Business Park offer wages that consistently exceed statewide averages across key industries. The average annual wage at Quonset is $78,076 — 20% higher than the statewide average. In total, Quonset generates $2.2 billion in annual household income, representing 6.4% of all labor income statewide.
Significant Returns for Taxpayers
The report found that activity at the Business Park generated $191.5 million in state and local tax revenues in 2025, including $14 million in support for key public services in North Kingstown alone.
Since 2005, Quonset has attracted more than $2.5 billion in inflation-adjusted private investment, including nearly $900 million over the past five years, while remaining a self-sustaining operation supported by tenant revenues rather than state operating funds.
The full 2025 Quonset Business Park Economic Impact Report is available here.
Support from Rhode Island’s Leaders
“Under my administration, Rhode Island has added more than 36,000 private-sector jobs, with thousands of them created at Quonset, which has played a key role in that growth,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Thanks to our historic investments in Quonset, Rhode Island is seeing new businesses, growing jobs, and rising incomes for hard-working families. My proposed budget includes an economic development bond that will support Quonset and sustain our economic momentum—let’s get it passed.”
“Rhode Island’s future is being built at the Quonset Business Park — an economic engine for our state generating billions in activity and supporting tens of thousands of good-paying jobs,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “I’m proud to work with my colleagues and local leaders to make strategic investments that grow opportunities and our Blue Economy to deliver for Rhode Island workers and businesses.”
“The Quonset Business Park is an economic engine for Rhode Island, delivering more than 15,000 good paying jobs and billions of dollars in output. In the General Assembly, we rely on data to guide our decision-making, and this report shows that our investments in Quonset are significantly benefitting our state,” said House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi.
“Quonset is an essential part of Rhode Island’s identity. It’s one of the symbols of our state, known to people all around the world. And for generations of Rhode Islanders, it has been an economic driver and a gateway to opportunity. Today, we as highlight the incredible scope of Quonset’s economic impact, I want to offer congratulations on behalf of the Senate and express our appreciation to Steve King and the entire team at Quonset for their incredible contributions to Rhode Island,” said Senate President Valarie Lawson.
“Quonset Business Park has been highly successful – so successful, in fact, that it’s running out of room,” said Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor, who serves as chair of the QDC Board of Directors. “Commerce supports continued investment in Quonset as well as replication of the Quonset model elsewhere in our state in order to keep the momentum going. Congratulations to Governor McKee, Steve King, our congressional delegation, state legislative leaders, and the Quonset business community for the complex’s remarkable success and its significant contributions to our economy.”
