Santa Clarita Valley's Largest Employers: 2025 Edition

Unlocking Economic Potential: A Close Look at Santa Clarita Valley's Largest Employers of 2025

 

 

In a world of constant economic twists and turns, it's refreshing to pause and recognize the forces that keep our community thriving. One such driving force is the network of businesses and their employees who form the backbone of the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV). Every name on the SCV’s Largest Employers list represents hundreds – sometimes thousands – of livelihoods. Together, the top 62 organizations employ over 31,000 people locally. These employers are not just businesses; they are the heartbeats of our local economy, providing stability, innovation, and growth opportunities for the community. The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC), dedicated to fostering sustainable growth in the SCV, compiles this annual list as a narrative of the economic dynamics shaping our daily lives.

 

The 2025 Largest Employers List is like a “who’s who” of economic heavyweights, spanning industries from healthcare and education to aerospace and entertainment. Long-standing pillars such as Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and Six Flags Magic Mountain continue to anchor the list, joined by cutting-edge manufacturers, global corporate headquarters, and everything in between. This diversity of sectors – including Aerospace & Defense, medical devices, advanced manufacturing, digital media, professional services, and more – gives the Santa Clarita Valley a resilient economic foundation. It’s no wonder that SCV has been repeatedly recognized as one of Los Angeles County’s most business-friendly regions.

 

Major Private Employers Driving Growth

Several standout employers saw significant growth this year. Logix Federal Credit Union jumped out as a star performer – it expanded its workforce by about 25%, adding 170 positions (2025 Economic Outlook Book, p. 75), the largest gain of any company on the list. This growth reflects Logix’s continued success as a financial headquarters in the SCV. E-commerce and retail also made waves: Amazon, which opened its first SCV facilities only a few years ago, added nearly 100 new jobs, further cementing its local presence. Their growth on the list is due in part to headcount expansion, as well as its inclusion this year of employees at the one Whole Foods location in the valley. Shield Healthcare, a medical supplies company, grew its staff by 26% as it expanded operations in Valencia. Even main street staples saw upticks—for example, McDonald’s restaurants in the Valley increased by 18%, bringing on dozens more employees to serve a growing population at their newest location off Railroad Avenue. These gains illustrate the broad-based growth: from high-tech firms to service industries, many employers are upsizing to meet demand.

One of 2024's most significant private-sector employment gains in the SCV was with Vallarta Supermarkets, which relocated its corporate headquarters here from Sylmar, adding over 200 jobs to the local economy and joining fellow corporate headquarters such as Logix, DrinkPAK, Sunkist, and more. In 2025, they increased their headcount again, adding 48 employees across three stores and their corporate HQ, bringing their total to 497.

Public Service Sector Highlights

The public service and education sectors also showcased positive momentum in key areas. College of the Canyons (COC), the local community college, had a banner year – it grew its team by 230 employees (a 14% increase) as the college expanded programs and facilities to serve more students. The U.S. Postal Service’s processing center in Valencia ramped up hiring as well, adding 93 positions (an 8.7% jump) to boost throughput for our region. Even the City of Santa Clarita modestly grew its workforce, reflecting civic investment in services. In fact, half of the Valley’s 13 largest public service sector employers reported headcount increases in 2025. With Santa Clarita’s median household income now around $139,000 (significantly higher than county and state averages), it’s clear that an educated, skilled population resides here. The interplay between top-notch educational institutions and local industry helps sustain that prosperity. By investing in education, the SCV is truly investing in its future economic growth.

Steady Overall Employment in 2025

The labor force in the Greater Santa Clarita Valley area, which includes the surrounding communities of Agua Dulce, Val Verde, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, and Canyon Country, is now estimated at nearly 150,000. The labor force is the number of residents who are either working or want to be working. After the post-pandemic surge of the previous years, 2025 brought a slight leveling off in total employment among the SCV’s largest organizations. Collectively, the top employers reported a minor net contraction, essentially holding steady amid more than 31,323 positions out of the estimated 97,192 total local jobs in SCV. 19 of the top 50 private companies on the list expanded their workforce this year, and many others held steady. The slight dip in the largest-firm employment should be viewed in context: Santa Clarita’s labor market is essentially at full employment, and job growth is naturally tempering after the rapid gains of recent years. In other words, the Valley’s employment base remains robust and near–record highs, a testament to the strong recovery and expansion we’ve experienced since the pandemic shock.

One of Santa Clarita Valley’s most significant economic strengths is the diversity of its industries. Our 2025 list features employers from theme parks to high-tech. For example, Six Flags Magic Mountain remains the region’s single largest private employer, with roughly 3,000 workers (about the same as last year’s peak) after boosting its summer workforce by 20% in 2024. Six Flags is not only a major job creator but also an innovator in sustainability – it recently broke ground on California’s largest single-site commercial solar energy project to power the parks, underscoring its long-term commitment to the community. In 2026, the park plans to add a “first-of-its-kind” roller coaster: a thrill-seeking off-road motorcycle ride over rugged hillside terrain. The Los Angeles County Planning Department approved plans for the new ride in January 2025.

In the advanced manufacturing and aerospace arena, the SCV hosts numerous firms that are propelling growth. Companies such as Woodward HRT (up 49 employees from 2024's list), Aerospace Dynamics International, Fralock,  and Crissair (to name a few) make the Valley a hub for cutting-edge aerospace production and engineering. Notably, employment in Aerospace & Defense soared in the last twelve months, reaching its highest level to date earlier this year, before stabilizing around 1,800 jobs in Q3 (just above its prior peak back in 2017). In total, the valley is home to nearly 8,000 advanced manufacturing jobs, accounting for about 40% of all local manufacturing employment. These include the production of everything from medical implants and pharmaceutical supplements to precision automotive and aerospace components. While manufacturing nationwide is becoming more automated, Santa Clarita’s firms have stayed competitive by leveraging technology and skilled talent. The presence of these high-tech manufacturers keeps the SCV economy innovative and resilient, providing stable, well-paying jobs.

The healthcare, medical device, and life sciences sectors in the Santa Clarita Valley continue to expand, reinforcing its status as a cornerstone of the local economy, with firms like Boston Scientific and Advanced Bionics designing life-changing medical devices right here. With healthcare now the third-largest employment sector in the SCV and growing, the valley benefits from both improved medical services and a wealth of skilled jobs.  Last year, the medical device industry in SCV boasted some of the highest wage growth and top average salaries among our target industries, reflecting both the expertise of our workforce and the high value of the products they create. This all bodes well for the community’s well-being and economic vitality, as a healthier population and a robust healthcare workforce go hand in hand.

Positioned at the crossroads of Southern California, the Santa Clarita Valley has become a logistics and fulfillment powerhouse, and 2025 saw continued strength in this sector. Several of the area’s largest employers are involved in warehousing, distribution, and e-commerce fulfillment, taking advantage of SCV’s accessible location and modern industrial facilities. Crucially, the demand for warehouse and fulfillment center labor in the region has steadily expanded, supported by new state-of-the-art developments. SCV’s logistics sector is delivering growth,  facilitating the movement of goods in Southern California while providing quality jobs in management, operations, and supply chain tech.

Success Stories Fueling Optimism

Behind the numbers are the individual success stories that illustrate why companies choose to grow in Santa Clarita. Take DrinkPAK, for example – one of the fastest-growing beverage manufacturers in the nation. DrinkPAK recently leased a new 172,000 square-foot facility in the SCV to expand its operationhttps://www.scvedc.org/blog#:~:text=The%20Santa%20Clarita%20Valley%20Economic,transaction%20with%20the%20Newmark%20team, marking the latest in a string of investments that the company has made here since launching only a few years ago. Or take last year's business retention win with IQVIA Laboratories in a coordinated effort between the SCVEDC and partners across various regional agencies. They chose to expand two locations, allowing both to be co-located in a single facility, helping streamline operations and increase efficiency to meet the evolving needs of biopharmaceutical customers, and enabling the retention of 350 highly skilled jobs that might otherwise have been lost to the region. These kinds of homegrown expansions speak volumes about the supportive, business-friendly climate in the Valley.

The Santa Clarita Valley’s economy in 2025 is strong, diversified, and forward-looking. The annual Largest Employers list is a reflection of a thriving community of industries and people. By understanding who our biggest employers are and how they are evolving, we gain insight into the opportunities that make the SCV a great place to live and work. From designing cutting-edge technologies to running world-class entertainment venues, our local employers continue to push boundaries. The region offers state-of-the-art industrial and commercial spaces in master-planned developments, a high quality of life for employees, and a variety of incentive programs for businesses – all of which reinforce why Santa Clarita Valley consistently earns its reputation as a premier location for business in Southern California.

Whether you’re a resident, a job-seeker, or a business owner with an eye on expansion, the Santa Clarita Valley’s vibrant economic landscape offers a wealth of opportunities. The 2025 Largest Employers list is a testament to our community’s resilience and growth. We invite you to delve deeper into the list and learn more about the key players driving our region’s success. You might just discover your next big partnership or career move right here in SCV. The future looks bright as our businesses continue to innovate and prosper, keeping the Santa Clarita Valley on the map as a beacon of economic potential and community prosperity.

Click below to read the list of the SCV Largest Employers. For the separate lists of Private and Public employers, you can visit our Top Employers page. And don't forget to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about business updates across the valley!

The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp. is a unique private/public partnership representing the united effort of regional industry and government leaders. The SCVEDC utilizes an integrated approach to attracting, retaining and expanding a diversity of businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley, especially those in key industry clusters, by offering competitive business services and other resources. For more information, visit SCVEDC.org.