FLW Facts

Being only 25 minutes away from the Main Gate of a major Army facility like Fort Leonard Wood gives Richland some rich job prospects, opportunities for training for residents, and a ready market for contractor labor and services as the post grows.

Its $450 million annual operating budget makes FLW currently the economic engine of Pulaski County and a major component of the State of Missouri’s economy. Over the past several years, the Department of Defense has invested close to a half billion dollars of new construction, renovations and repairs into the Fort. It is an enduring, vibrant military community, that is becoming a station of choice for soldiers and their families. Essentially, it’s the largest city on I-44 between St. Louis and Springfield.

More than 7,500 military permanently assigned
Close to 6,400 civilians working on the installation
Three schools on post that train between 13,000-17,000 soldiers, and over 150 seabees, daily
Has the largest detachments of Marines and Airmen not on a Marine or Air Base
There are many individuals seeking more advanced positions in computer and engineering fields, such as Operations Engineers, Industrial Engineering Technicians, Computer Support Specialists and System Analysis.
The three Fort Leonard Wood Schools, Engineer, Military Police and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) graduate more than 50,000 highly trained individuals per year.
There are according to Fort Wood officials about 1,300 military retirees that reside in the broader 13 county area, two-thirds of which reside in Pulaski County and 80 % in Laclede, Phelps, and Pulaski County combined. The retiree term is a misnomer, because the average age of these individuals is 51 and they are ready to start a civilian career.
Also, there are about 4,000 spouses of active military personnel that reside in the area and at least 60% are interested in full-time employment.
The area has a plethora of higher educational and training institutions. Its centerpiece is the Missouri University of Science and Technology, one of the nation’s top rated research and engineering schools.
The area has three technical training institutions, extended study opportunities with community colleges and liberal arts colleges.

(Facts courtesy of Pulaski County Growth Alliance)

Being only 25 minutes away from the Main Gate of a major Army facility like Fort Leonard Wood gives Richland some rich job prospects, opportunities for training for residents, and a ready market for contractor labor and services as the post grows.

More than 7,500 military permanently assigned

Close to 6,400 civilians working on the installation

Three schools on post that train between 13,000-17,000 soldiers, and over 150 seabees, daily

Has the largest detachments of Marines and Airmen not on a Marine or Air Base

There are many individuals seeking more advanced positions in computer and engineering fields, such as Operations Engineers, Industrial Engineering Technicians, Computer Support Specialists and System Analysis.

The three Fort Leonard Wood Schools, Engineer, Military Police and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) graduate more than 50,000 highly trained individuals per year.

Also, there are about 4,000 spouses of active military personnel that reside in the area and at least 60% are interested in full-time employment.

The area has a plethora of higher educational and training institutions. Its centerpiece is the Missouri University of Science and Technology, one of the nation’s top rated research and engineering schools.

The area has three technical training institutions, extended study opportunities with community colleges and liberal arts colleges.