Penn State campuses help to sustain the economic vitality of their communities.

PENN STATE EMPLOYS more than 20,000 men and women at 24 campus locations statewide and at outreach offices and centers in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. The University pays about $1.2 billion yearly in wages, salaries, and benefits, which in turn have a significant "ripple effect" throughout the Commonwealth. The direct economic impact of the University Park campus alone--employee, student, and institutional spending--is estimated at more than $500 million each year.

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Penn State enriches Pennsylvania’s cultural life.

THE UNIVERSITY PARK CAMPUS gives central Pennsylvanians the opportunity to enjoy the kind of world-class art and live entertainment normally found only in urban areas—the Palmer Museum of Art, for example, is the largest public art museum between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Bryce Jordan Center, opened in 1996, attracts more than 750,000 people annually for performances ranging from Billy Joel to Garth Brooks, from the Bolshoi Ballet to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Other Penn State campuses offer still more community-enrichment programming.