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Exhibit 1
Estimated Total Contribution to the Texas Economy, Sheppard Air Force Base, 2023
Exhibit 2
Employment and Other Populations
Sheppard Air Force Base Economic Impact, 2023
Background
Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB), established in 1941 near Wichita Falls, has 1,900 active military personnel. The base is home to the Air Force’s largest technical training wing and the world’s only internationally manned and managed flying training program.1 The Air Education and Training Command at Sheppard provides essential technical training, flying training and professional military education. Sheppard contains two major units under the command. The 82nd Training Wing, the host unit, delivers technical training to approximately 63,000 graduates annually. This training spans various fields, including aircraft maintenance, logistics, civil engineering, munitions and nuclear operations. The 80th Flying Training Wing operates the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program. This program provides undergraduate pilot training, introduction to fighter fundamentals training and pilot instructor training to aviators from 14 NATO partner nations.
Sheppard’s offsite operations include Frederick Airport, used for touch-and-go pilot training, and the Sheppard annex, which facilitates Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Crashed, Damaged, and Disabled Aircraft Removal training. Additionally, Sheppard AFB oversees 9,000 square miles of training range airspace and 61 global detached units on three continents, supporting technical training for operational wings.
Sheppard AFB offers a range of resources for families. These include the Airman and Family Readiness Center, an outpatient medical clinic, a commissary, a main exchange, a mini-mart and gas station, a food court, athletic fields, 712 privatized military housing units, Sheppard Elementary School (part of Wichita Falls Independent School District) and swimming pools. For children, the base provides a Child Development Center, a Youth and Teen Center, an indoor playground and a library.
Economic Impact
The Comptroller’s office and the Texas Military Preparedness Commission collected economic data from each of the state’s 14 U.S. military installations. These data were collected using a survey designed to ensure consistency in determining the total direct and indirect contribution of the base’s populations to state-level employment, gross domestic product, output and disposable personal income (Exhibits 1 and 2).2
As of 2023, this base is home to a total of 6,402 direct employees, of which 1,967 are active-duty military, national guard and/or reserve. This base also has nearly 3,500 military retirees accessing the installation, camp facilities and resources. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts estimates the population directly affiliated with the Sheppard Air Force Base contributed at least $3.2 billion to the Texas economy in 2023.3
Estimated Total Contribution to the Texas Economy, Sheppard Air Force Base, 2023
| Contribution | Value |
|---|---|
| Total direct employment | 6,402 |
| Total employment (direct and indirect) | 17,801 |
| Output | $3,275,951,000 |
| Gross domestic product | $1,961,570,000 |
| Disposable personal income | $1,503,364,000 |
Notes: “Total direct employment” refers to both actual full time and full time equivalent (FTE) employees. For part-time employees, their FTE is calculated based on their hours divided by the standard 40-hour work week; “total employment” refers to both direct and indirect employment, meaning “total direct employment” as noted above plus any indirect employees such as temporary contractors; “output” refers to the total value of all goods and services (both final and intermediate) produced in Texas; “gross domestic product” refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced in Texas; “disposable personal income” refers to post-income-tax income.
Source: Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI)
The Comptroller’s economic impact analysis represents a conservative estimate of the economic impact of the Sheppard Air Force Base on Texas. Each installation’s distinctive characteristics contribute to the Texas economy in different ways.
Employment and Other Populations
| Description | Full Time Equivalent (FTE) |
|---|---|
| FULL-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | |
| Active Duty Army | 20 |
| Active Duty Navy | 30 |
| Active Duty Air Force | 1,833 |
| Active Duty Marine Corps | 15 |
| Active Duty Coast Guard | 2 |
| Active Duty National Guard/Reserve | 67 |
| FULL-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL | |
| Appropriated | 1,071 |
| Non-Appropriated | 1,932 |
| OTHER FULL-TIME PERSONNEL | |
| Full Time Employees Not Listed Elsewhere | 0 |
| PART-TIME DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE | |
| Army Reserve | 0 |
| Navy Reserve | 0 |
| Air Force Reserve | 0 |
| Marine Corps Reserve | 0 |
| Coast Guard Reserve | 0 |
| PART-TIME CIVILIAN PERSONNEL | |
| Appropriated | 0 |
| Non-Appropriated | 0 |
| OTHER | |
| Contractors, Total (staff) | 1,432 |
| Average Daily Student Load | 6,114 |
| TOTALS | |
| Total Direct FTE Employment | 6,402 |
| Total Number of Dependents | 4,750 |
| Total Indirect FTE Employment | 11,399 |
Source: Sheppard Air Force Base
End Notes
- Sheppard Air Force Base; “History,” https://www.sheppard.af.mil/Library/Sheppard-History/ (Last visited May 20, 2024).↳
- Estimate inputs and assumptions include the following: (1) all data submitted are for 2023; (2) input includes full-time, permanent employees and a full-time equivalent (FTE) for any part-time employees; (3) dependents are associated with Sheppard Air Force Base only; (4) all economic impact is within Texas.↳
- This study represents an analysis of the economic impact of the population and employees directly affiliated with the base. This includes active duty, visiting, and other military personnel, dependents, civilian employees and contractors directly affiliated with the base as reported in documents emailed from Sheppard Air Force Base to B. Keith Graf, Texas Military Preparedness Commission, February 2024.↳