The composite cost of living index for the Gadsden MSA in the 4^th quarter of 2009 was 92.1 according to the U.S. Department of Commerce Census Bureau.

A host of leading national retailers are located in Gadsden including; two (2) Wal-Mart Supercenters, T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, Books A Million, Academy Sports & Outdoors and Lowe’s; many of which report sales figures well above the national average.  In 2006, the Gadsden Mall renovated its interior and in 2008 completed a 20,000 sq. ft. expansion with the addition of an 88,146 square feet J.C. Penney’s.  Penney’s, as well as Belk (80,240 sq. ft) and Sears (112,250 sq. ft.) are the anchors for the Mall.  The Gadsden Mall has 477,177 square feet of gross leasable area (GLA). 

Marketing research conducted by The Chamber, Gadsden & Etowah County, revealed that the Gadsden area is a regionally located municipality that draws consumers from Calhoun, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall and Blount counties. This constitutes a radius of 50 miles, comprised of over 350,000 residents. 

National Retailers in Gadsden

Present day Etowah County enjoys a vibrant and diverse economy that continues to attract new business and industry. Etowah County’s current labor force is 43,999 citizens and its communities are perfectly situated for relocating or expanding business.

PROFESSIONAL DATA

• Medical Doctors: 400
• Certified Public Accountants: 71
• Investment Bankers: 37
• Attorneys at Law: 103
• Area Educators/Support Staff: 1,321

Major Employers in Gadsden/Etowah County

  Major employers are The Goodyear Tire Company, The Gadsden Regional Medical Center, The Etowah County School system, Riverview Regional Medical Center. In addition, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (4,500 employees) also has a production facility located 30 miles south along I-20 in Lincoln, with in excess of 1,000 of its employees living within the Gadsden MSA.

Top 10 Etowah County Employers

• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Inc: 1720
• Gadsden Regional Medical Center: 1200
• Etowah County Board of Education: 1100
• Riverview Regional Medical Center: 800
• Gadsden State Community College (full & part time): 799
• Wal-Mart (two locations): 720
• Gadsden City School System: 650
• City of Gadsden: 513
• Koch Foods: 505
• Equity Group of Alabama/Keystone Foods: 500

There are three school systems within the Gadsden-Etowah County area: Attalla, Etowah County and Gadsden City Schools. The three systems comprise a total of 44 schools, 16,500 students and 1,300 faculty and staff.

Gadsden State Community Collegeis a public, community college under control of the Alabama State Board of Education. Currently, the total enrollment of GSCC is 6,623 students. Of 171 staff, 154 are professors. There is one main campus and 5 satellite campuses – 2 in Calhoun County, 1 in Cherokee County. GSCC is the largest “feeder” college of transfer students to Jacksonville State University.

The University of Alabama Gadsden Center offers flexible and convenient programs designed for working adults. UA Gadsden is a testing site for the ACT, MAT, and Praxis exams. Currently, there are 400 graduate students enrolled at the Center with nine professors.

Jacksonville State University is located approximately 30 miles from Gadsden. There are 9,351 enrolled students and 1,414 graduate students. As of fall 2009, 866 JSU students were Etowah County natives. Seventy percent of the university’s students live within 100 miles of the campus. Of 1,000 employees at JSU, 400 are professors.

JSU-Gadsden is an off-campus center of the main campus of Jacksonville State University. The off-campus facility is located in the new Joe M. Ford Center for Economic Development, a partnership initiative of the Economic Development Consortium, on the campus of Gadsden State Community College.

There are 2 major health care providers serving Etowah County and Gadsden is the home to Gadsden Regional Medical Center (346 beds) and Riverview Regional Medical Center (281 beds). Both Gadsden and Riverview Regional Medical centers offer outstanding services often found in larger metro areas.

Gadsden Regional Medical Center

Gadsden Regional Medical Center employs a medical staff of over two hundred twenty (220) and over 1,200 employees. Gadsden Regional Medical Center offers health care usually reserved for major metropolitan areas, and draws up to forty percent (40%) of its patients from surrounding counties.Gadsden Regional recently completed a $30 million dollar addition to the hospital with suites and critical care.

Riverview Regional Medical Center

Riverview Regional Medical Center was the only hospital in Alabama to be named one of the nation’s top 100 Hospitals by HCIA, Inc and William M. Mercer, Incorporate in 1997. The Top 100 Award is based on operating efficiency and quality. In July 2008, Riverview continued its history of advanced medical care with the addition of the Da Vinci Surgical System. The Da Vinci Surgical System is the most technologically advanced robotic surgery system available, and the only one of its kind in Alabama.