The Sierra economy at a glance

Seven counties.
One regional economy.

The Sierra is an economy built by many hands, from the Me-Wuk, Paiute and Washoe people who have tended this land since time immemorial to the ranchers, makers, builders and merchants working it today.

gross regional product (2025)

$ 0 B

jobs (2025)

businesses

0 +

residents (2026)

visitor spending (2025)

$ 0 B

of businesses have fewer than 10 employees

0 %

Key figures for the Sierra Sourced region
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training. Visitor spending: Visit California, 2025 Economic Impact of Travel.

Here's how that economy is moving ↓

A growing economy

Sierra jobs grew nearly 10% in five years. The population held steady.

From 66,936 jobs in 2020 to 73,373 in 2025, with about 4,500 more projected by 2030.

Change since 2020; dashed lines are Lightcast projections
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

More jobs, steady population. Who is doing the hiring? ↓

Built by small business

Small businesses are the backbone of the Sierra economy.

About 10,100 businesses across seven counties, and most of them are small, independent operators.

of businesses in the region have fewer than 10 employees.

0 %

Nearly 4 in 10 have fewer than 5.

1 to 4 employees · 3,960

5 to 9 employees · 3,238

10 to 19 employees · 1,876

20 to 49 employees · 847

50 to 99 employees · 130

100 or more employees · 55

Businesses by number of employees
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for the seven Sierra Sourced counties (business data from DatabaseUSA), provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

And most of them have nothing to do with tourism ↓

More than tourism

Visitors are one part of a much bigger Sierra economy.

Hotels, restaurants and recreation make up about 1 in 10 businesses in the region. The rest do everything else.

in 10 local businesses build, make, grow, heal, teach, sell or serve outside of the visitor economy.

Hotels, restaurants & recreationEverything else

Each square is 1% of businesses in the region
Source: Lightcast establishment data for the Sierra Sourced region: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

So what does the rest of the Sierra do? ↓

What the Sierra is made of

A wide mix of businesses keeps the Sierra economy running.

Share of the region’s roughly 10,000 businesses, by type.

Professional & business services · 18%

Construction & trades · 15%

Retail · 10%

Health care & social assistance · 9%

Makers & growers · 8%

Finance, insurance & real estate · 7%

Transportation, wholesale & utilities · 6%

Personal & repair services · 6%

Lodging, recreation & arts · 5%

Restaurants & bars · 4%

Government & public safety · 4%

Nonprofits, faith & civic groups · 4%

Education · 3%

Share of businesses by type
Source: Lightcast establishment data for the Sierra Sourced region: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

Visitors still matter. A lot. ↓

A decade of growth

Visitor spending in the Sierra hit a new high in 2025.

Total travel spending across the seven Sierra Sourced counties, 2015 to 2025.

Travel spending, not adjusted for inflation
Source: Visit California, 2025 Economic Impact of Travel, county data for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

Visitor spending, 2025

Visitors spent $2.3 billion in the Sierra in 2025.

Mono · $738M

Mariposa · $486M

Tuolumne · $304M

Inyo · $288M

Calaveras · $266M

Amador · $173M

Alpine · $38M

jobs supported by travel

0 +

in state and local tax revenue

$ 0 M

Travel spending by county, 2025
Source: Visit California, 2025 Economic Impact of Travel, county data for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

Here's who that spending supports ↓

The visitor economy

Hospitality is a top Sierra employer, and it leads job growth.

Hotels, restaurants and food service across the seven Sierra Sourced counties, 2020 to 2025.

jobs in the region are in hotels, restaurants and food service, about twice the national share.

1 in 0

of all new jobs since 2020 came from hotels, restaurants and food service.

~ 0 %

Every one of those kitchens, lobbies and gift shelves is a place a Sierra-made product can land.

Shares rounded from Lightcast industry estimates
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

So where exactly do visitors spend? ↓

Where visitors spend

$928 million went to restaurants, grocers and shops.

These are the local businesses that can put Sierra-made products in front of visitors. Travel spending by category, 2025.

Lodging · $867M

Restaurants & food service · $587M

Arts, entertainment & recreation · $282M

Retail shopping · $188M

Local transportation & gas · $182M

Grocery & food stores · $153M

Travel spending by category, 2025
Source: Visit California, 2025 Economic Impact of Travel, county data for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

That's money coming in. Now look at what goes out. ↓

The local sourcing opportunity

Every year, $21 billion in goods and services flows into the Sierra from outside.

Imports · $21.14B · goods and services bought from outside the region

Exports · $17.08B · goods and services sold outside the region

A $4.06 billion gap between what the region buys from outside and what it sells.

kept circulating here for every 1% of that bought from Sierra businesses instead.

$ 0 M

Regional imports and exports, 2025
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

Making more of what the region buys is the opportunity ↓

Room to grow

Sierra manufacturing is half the national average. That’s room to grow.

Share of local jobs in each industry compared with the U.S. average. Making more of what the region buys keeps more value here.

Hotels, restaurants & food service · 2.0x

Arts, entertainment & recreation · 1.6x

Agriculture, forestry & fishing · 1.0x

Manufacturing · 0.5x

Dashed line marks the U.S. average (1.0x).

Job concentration vs. U.S. average, 2025
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

Makers on the rise

The number of Sierra manufacturers grew 13% in five years.

Manufacturing and agriculture businesses in Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties, 2021 and 2026.

Manufacturing, 2021 · 349

Manufacturing, 2026 · 396 (+13%)

Agriculture & forestry, 2021 · 278

Agriculture & forestry, 2026 · 289 (+4%)

Number of businesses, 2021 vs. 2026
Source: RegionVue (Dun & Bradstreet and BLS QCEW) for the Mother Lode Consortium area: Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

Better-paying work

Making and growing jobs pay more than most service jobs.

Average yearly pay by industry, 2024. Growing Sierra makers means growing better-paying work.

Agriculture & forestry · $52.4K

Manufacturing · $47.9K

Hotels & lodging · $44.1K

Retail · $40.1K

Restaurants & bars · $26.6K

Average yearly pay, 2024 (restaurant pay includes part-time work)
Source: RegionVue (Dun & Bradstreet and BLS QCEW) for the Mother Lode Consortium area: Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

And the buyers are already here ↓

Made here. Bought here.

The market for Sierra products is already here.

Local makers and growers alongside the restaurants, lodging, grocers and gift shops that could carry their goods.

Calaveras

Makers & growers · 226

Local buyers · 153

Amador

Makers & growers · 206

Local buyers · 163

Tuolumne

Makers & growers · 180

Local buyers · 218

Mariposa

Makers & growers · 81

Local buyers · 73

Inyo

Makers & growers · 69

Local buyers · 116

Mono

Makers & growers · 39

Local buyers · 147

Alpine

Makers & growers · 3

Local buyers · 8

Number of businesses by county
Source: Lightcast establishment data for the Sierra Sourced region: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

And the next generation of workers is growing too ↓

Local talent

The Sierra’s talent pipeline is growing.

graduates from Columbia College in 2025

growth in graduates over the past five years

+ 0 %

A growing local talent pipeline for the businesses that make, grow and serve in the Sierra.

Graduates, 2025, and change since 2021
Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.

Put it to work

The makers are here. The buyers are here. Sierra Sourced connects them.

Find a certified Sierra business, carry their products, or get your own business certified.

Sources
Lightcast Q3 2026 Economy Overview for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.
Lightcast establishment data for the Sierra Sourced region: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.
RegionVue (Dun & Bradstreet and BLS QCEW) for the Mother Lode Consortium area: Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties, provided by Mother Lode Job Training.
Visit California, 2025 Economic Impact of Travel, county data for Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono and Tuolumne counties.

Seven counties.
One regional economy.

Sierra jobs grew nearly 10% in five years. The population held steady.

Small businesses are the backbone of the Sierra economy.

Visitors are one part of a much bigger Sierra economy.

A wide mix of businesses keeps the Sierra economy running.

Visitor spending in the Sierra hit a new high in 2025.

Visitors spent $2.3 billion in the Sierra in 2025.

Hospitality is a top Sierra employer, and it leads job growth.

$928 million went to restaurants, grocers and shops.

Every year, $21 billion in goods and services flows into the Sierra from outside.

Sierra manufacturing is half the national average. That’s room to grow.

The number of Sierra manufacturers grew 13% in five years.

Making and growing jobs pay more than most service jobs.

The market for Sierra products is already here.

Calaveras

Amador

Tuolumne

Mariposa

Inyo

Mono

Alpine

The Sierra’s talent pipeline is growing.

The makers are here. The buyers are here. Sierra Sourced connects them.

Company

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Seven counties.One regional economy.

Sierra jobs grew nearly 10% in five years. The population held steady.

Small businesses are the backbone of the Sierra economy.

Visitors are one part of a much bigger Sierra economy.

A wide mix of businesses keeps the Sierra economy running.

Visitor spending in the Sierra hit a new high in 2025.

Visitors spent $2.3 billion in the Sierra in 2025.

Hospitality is a top Sierra employer, and it leads job growth.

$928 million went to restaurants, grocers and shops.

Every year, $21 billion in goods and services flows into the Sierra from outside.

Sierra manufacturing is half the national average. That’s room to grow.

The number of Sierra manufacturers grew 13% in five years.

Making and growing jobs pay more than most service jobs.

The market for Sierra products is already here.

Calaveras

Amador

Tuolumne

Mariposa

Inyo

Mono

Alpine

The Sierra’s talent pipeline is growing.

The makers are here. The buyers are here. Sierra Sourced connects them.

Seven counties.
One regional economy.