Business & Industry

Chautauqua County is within 3 hours of 10.8 million people as a result of it's proximity to Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Toronto, Ontario. The County benefits from a strong foundation of diverse businesses; retail, manufacturing, services, agriculture and tourism based industries. 

Chautauqua County with a population of approximately 140,000 is anchored by two urban centers, the City of Jamestown and The City of Dunkirk, serving as industrial, commercial, financial and recreational hubs.

Chautauqua County's four industrial parks are home to manufacturers who employ thousands of county residents. These industries ship their goods to national and international customers. The citis of Dunkirk and Jamestown are home to bustling downtowns and thriving retail districts. Other areas of the county are home to smaller towns and villages where you'll find quaint shops and eateries. Agricultural establishments are prominent throughout the County, including dairy and cattle farms and acres of grape vineyards.

Manufacturing
Manufacturing firms thrive in a stable and well-balanced industrial community. Unlike the economies of many other northeastern industrial cities, Chautauqua County does not rely on one dominant area of production for its economic survival. As a result, the area economy is better able to withstand fluctuations associated with the business cycle.

Chautauqua County has many attributes that make it attractive to forest products manufacturers.  An abundance of natural resources, low cost power the availability of water and a high quality workforce anchor manufacturing firms to the area and create a compelling reason to move a manufacturing facility to area.

A diverse base manufactured products include auto parts, aerospace components, furniture, injection molded components, architectural doors and windows and companies processing pet foods, juice production and a variety of food goods keep Chautauqua County on the move. 

Tourism
Tourism in Chautauqua County is a major economic engine providing a flow of new private sector and tax revenues, sustaining the tourism business and second home property tax base, supporting a large portion of local jobs, and maintaining the quality of life for all county residents. To learn more about tourism in Chautauqua County click here.

Agriculture
Chautauqua County is rich in agricultural resources ranking first in the state for the number of farms and fifth for land in farms.  The dairy and grape industry are dominant but the county includes a diversity of other enterprises including livestock, vegetables, berries, nurseries and greenhouses and many have direct marketing as a sales strategy.  The diversity is in part due to the topography, which includes the lake plain, ideal for grapes as well as other fruits and vegetables, and the Allegany plateau, which is dairy country. The Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail is the third largest grape growing region in the country and the second larges concord grape growing region in the country. 
 

Retail
The retail market area of the County encompasses approximately 2,500 square miles and a population of more than 150,000. The wholesale market region spreads out to reach the larger markets of Erie, Buffalo and Elmira-Corning. Products include furniture, automotive equipment, food products, farm equipment, hardware, metals, lumber and building equipment, plumbing and heating fixtures, hand tools, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and petroleum products.  Jamestown is the principal shopping area for southwestern New York, representing the largest market region between Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Erie and Elmira-Corning.

 Health Care
The health care and wellness community in Chautauqua County is committed to one function - providing the highest quality of care for patients. A thriving network of health care providers and state-of-the-art diagnostic technologies have thousands of doctors and skilled technicians working together for improved "best practices." With four hospitals receiving the Joint Commission Accreditation, a nationally recognized symbol of quality and attainmnet of performance standards, patients can be assured that they will receive high quality care.

Transportation
Located about halfway between New York City and Chicago, Chautauqua County is right in the middle of the action. Its residents and businesses are within a day’s drive of 36 percent of the North American population. Accessibility, along with a wealth of transportation choices, makes it one of the prime locations in the nation.

Major thoroughfares running through the county include: Interstate 90/New York State Thruway (four interchanges); Interstate 86; US Routes 5 and 20; and NY State Route 60. Three railroads provide freight hauling through the county. CSX Transportation Inc.,; Norfolk Southern Railway Company; and the Southern Tier Extension Rail Authority, the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad. There are also two county-owned and operated airports, Jamestown Airport and Dunkirk Airport, and two nearby international airports, Erie International Airport and the Buffalo Niagara International Airports, that serve Chautauqua County.