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Pittsburgh at Night

Science &
Technology
Tours
Monday
September 21

Credentialed media & G-20 delegations
are invited to tour cutting-edge technology and research centers at Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, and UPMC.
Learn more and register
learning lessons from pittsburgh's eds and meds powerhouses

Driving the Regional Economy to New Heights

The success of the Pittsburgh region’s economy, even in the face of the worldwide downturn, has largely and correctly been attributed to the strength of Pittsburgh’s powerful education and medical sector.

The “eds and meds” factor accounts for more than $11 billion in local salaries—22 percent of the total salaries in the region.

Most powerful of the eds and meds are Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC.) The combination of two of the nation’s important research universities and one of its largest and most respected medical complexes forms a dynamic economic engine that has driven the economy to new heights, pumping many billions of dollars into the regional economy each year, including the employment of nearly 80,000.

The extraordinary extent to which these three powerhouses are engaged in key collaborative ventures has propelled Pittsburgh’s ongoing revival with groundbreaking research in technology and medicine, job creation, and incubation of new technology businesses.

On targeted projects, Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, and UPMC jointly pursue funding, share resources, and bring together an array of scientists and other experts to tackle global problems. Their pioneering entrepreneurial initiatives—in medicine, biosecurity, computational biology, tissue engineering, education, supercomputing, information technology, robotics, disabilities and aging, cognition, and more—bring more than a billion dollars in research support to the region annually and continue to generate enduring global benefits.

Taking imagination, innovation, and knowledge to the power of three has not only fueled the economy of Pittsburgh today but has set its course for the future.

By the Numbers

Carnegie Mellon Pitt UPMC
  • More than $300 million in sponsored research revenue.
  • 16 Nobel Prize winners, 96 Emmy Award winners, 20 Tony Award winners, six Academy Award winners.
  • An internationally recognized university, Carnegie Mellon is ranked 21st in the world by the London Times Higher Education Supplement and 21st in U.S. News & World Report's World's Best Colleges: Top 400 international listing.
  • $1.74 billion in local spending, including $1.1 billion directly on goods and services.
  • 74,800 Pitt alumni in Allegheny County earn an estimated $5.6 billion.
  • An internationally recognized university, Pitt is ranked 13th among U.S. public universities and 35th among all U.S. universities both by the London Times Higher Education Supplement and in U.S. News & World Report's first World's Best Colleges and Universities rankings, which also lists Pitt among the top 100 universities worldwide.
  • $16 billion economic impact on the region.
  • More than $1 billion invested in information technology over the last five years to improve quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care.
  • One of only 21 hospitals on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll last year.

More "By the Numbers" listings >

Start-up Companies

Center for Energy

Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, and UPMC have spun off hundreds of companies in the past 15 years, helping the regional economy and improving the region's quality of life.

View start-up companies >