DAYTON, Ohio — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio now employs more than 30,000 people for the first time in decades.
Leaders at Wright-Patt near Dayton expect personnel numbers to continue to grow.
The Dayton Daily News reports this is the first time the base has employed more than 30,000 people in 30 years, and just the 10th time it has employed that many in the past 101 years, the newspaper reported.
This year marks just the 10th time Wright-Patt has employed more than 30,000 in 101 years, base data shows.
Col. Tom Sherman, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander, attributes the growth to the base having better "local hiring authority" to fill new positions and vacancies that remained from a hiring freeze.
Loren Thompson, senior defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, says the employment increase is also a result of additional military funding being spent on research and development.
At its peak in 1942, Wright-Patt employed around 46,500 military and civilian employees.
