If you are new to the Erie area, you will probably have a number of questions about the local economy. You will find that there is a wide array of different industries operating in and around Erie. Here is a guideline of what to expect and explore if you are entering Erie's job market or are planning on becoming one of the area's next entrepreneurs.

Erie has long been an industrial hub due to it being a principal access way to the Great Lake -Lake Erie and the Saint Lawrence Seaway. As well, Erie continues to grow into being a maritime business center at the end of the American Revolution due to it's railroad. With manufacturers of anything from strainers to soup spoons, local industry quickly became best known for its steel and iron manufacturing. It thrived from the Industrial Revolution through to today.

Today, Erie has a broad economic base of a diverse mix of small and mid-sized businesses such as steel and plastic factories. If you are opening a shop to sell used septic tank trucks, IT inventory systems or refurbishing industrial plasma cutters, you will find an endless amount of clients here.

The city is also home to a large and expansive service sector. You will find Erie is a great city to relocate your Gravenhurst catering or London fashion business to. The service and retail sector is a major area employer in the fields of insurance and finance, tourism and hospitality, health and medical services.

Erie's largest employers include major corporations. The city is home to the headquarters of corporations like GE Transportation, Erie Insurance Group, Plastek Industries and Marquette Savings Bank. From ear tags for cattle or bag tags for bread, more than ten percent of the entire country's plastics are either made of finished in an Erie plant. Lord Corporation runs major operations in the city, employing numerous residents.

Erie has recently become a large player in the emerging bio-fuels industries; the city proudly producers more than 45 million gallons of it per year. The city has also recently seen a large scale increase in the role that tourism plays on the local economy. More than four million people visit Presque Isle State Park and other Erie attractions each year.

A large sub-economy caused by Canadian shoppers has spurred numerous opportunities. Canadians love to frequent the Millcreek Mall and Peach Street attractions, taking advantage of Pennsylvania's generous exemptions on sales tax.

The city is promoting development via Commonwealth initiatives which encourage area residents, schools and businesses to make contributions to the city's economic strength. Whether a strapping machine manufacturer or a community cafe, everyone is getting involved.

The city is currently executing a "master plan" for the downtown core. Plans include new commercial buildings, retails expansion, more mid-city housing and the renovation of historical buildings such as the Mercantile Building and Boston Store.