San Bernardino County, one of the largest counties in the U.S. and a county larger than Switzerland, is experiencing growth across multiple economic indicators. The area, which includes the metropolitan areas of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ontario, has added 130,000 jobs in the region, the sixth fastest amongst counties in California.

Apart from the increase of jobs, the San Bernardino area consists of homes with prices that are 50% less than nearby Los Angeles and Orange counties. With all of this taken into consideration, it won’t come as a surprise that Time Magazine lists the San Bernardino area as third in the U.S. as a destination for millenials.

San Bernardino is a growing startup hub, according to Startup Genome’s 2019 Global Startup Ecosystem Report. One area it is seeing success in is Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics. San Bernardino Community College received $1 million to help launch the Advanced Manufacturing Futures Initiatives, which will help expand hands-on training at the college to better prepare for the growing demand for qualified manufacturing workers.

The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino is dedicated to supporting the local startup community as well. One successful story that spurred from IECE was from Kids That Code, which offers programs to teach kids about the basics of computer programming, game design, and more. It was created by Pat Person, who started the company with colleagues from the IECE. Additionally, IECE also runs the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards. For more than a decade, these awards have helped elevate the visibility of entrepreneurship within the county.

Some other interesting points from our 2019 assessment of San Bernardino include:

• The average salary for a software engineer in San Bernardino is $89,200 per year.
• San Bernardino is in the top five activation ecosystems for Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics.
• San Bernardino’s startup ecosystem is valued is $642 million.

Our local member there is the San Bernardino Economic Development Agency, which focuses on offering strategic and measurable business advantages to help local businesses thrive. The Economic Development Agency also helps build bridges between businesses, resources, and opportunities by staying up to date with everything happening across the county. They consist of an array of services and departments that are focused on workforce development, small business development, and international investment.

“The biggest strength of San Bernardino County’s manufacturing sector is its diversity,” Mike Stull, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of IECE at the College of Business and Public Administration of California State University, San Bernardino, said. “We’re strong in Industrial Manufacturing, Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, and Consumer Products Manufacturing.”

Want to be more involved in the San Bernardino startup ecosystem? Become a Startup Genome Ambassador today! Please get in touch with us here.